Megaman Double Network 2: Dawn of Chaos
by Ghost501
Summary: Lan and Mayl have survived their first semester in college! However, there are some problems that not even Christmas can cover up. After several years, Mayl must finally confront one of her biggest challenges yet. To add to the chaos, a new threat is tearing down the door of SciLab. The programs of SciLab are under attack. Failure is not an option.
1. Prologue

Wow...DN2 already? Crazy what the Christmas season gets you to do. Anyway, here's my present from me to you all. Can't promises that DN3 will come quite as fast, but I'll be working on it! So, no commentary from me and Gav, though I'll still be answering questions via PMs for users and in chapter for guests.

So themes for DN: DW. Since, character ran kinda similar, I combined them together (Have better ideas? Let me know!):

Mayl and Roll: No Plan B by Manafest watch?v=7ESWUhxJGnw

Lan and Megaman: This Is Gonna Hurt by Sixx-A.M. watch?v=nZqg77YbQt4

_Megaman Double Network: Dark World_: Um...I'll get back to you all...

And finally, it's out! Let's Play Megaman Battle Network 6 is out! user/MidnightCommentaries/videos

**Oh and of course: MERRY CHRISTMAS!** watch?v=sCabI3MdV9g

* * *

**Day 0 - I'll Just Let Myself In**

"Cyber Gate 3 has been activated. Firewall Level 5 has been placed around Security Area 2. Other firewalls coming online. All security navis! Report to your stations! Repeat a navi has infiltrated Security Area 1! This is not a drill! I repeat this is not a drill! All navis have permission to fire at will!" shouted a commander from his post. It was times like these when he wished that these cyber spaces had a PA System of sorts. It would make these kinds of announcements a lot easier on his voice…although he would never become hoarse…unless his voice program was ripped out of him. Although to be far, it wasn't often that SciLab was attacked, at least not to this magnitude.

The commander navi sighed. Normally during this time, he would expect things to slow down. Especially after Dr. Hikari had left to take his vacation time—the man worked harder than anyone else he knew, although the good doctor would never admit it. With perhaps one of the most famous scientists in the world at home preparing for the holidays, the commander hoped that many others would become more relaxed and begin to slow down. However, this was SciLab, a top notch scientific institution, and many people did want the priceless and powerful programs within it. Some even thought they were entitled to it as an early Christmas present, which was why he and his staff guarded the archives as well as SciLab's main computing systems without hesitance. Even though the Christmas spirit was in the air in the human world, in SciLab Security Area 1, 2, 3, and 4, it was anything but festive.

"Sir!" a red navi said as he sprinted for his commander. In order to designate themselves as different from normal navis, they had been given a simple red color to show that they would hold the law to its highest standards. It seemed as though he was coming from Security Area 2, "You won't believe this. We put up a firewall around Security Area 2 so that the perpetrator would be unable to leave and enter Area 3 as instructed. However, there's a problem."

"And what is the issue? SciLab's firewalls are unmatched by many others. I'll bet that not even Megaman would be able to escape from one of those!"

"Well sir, that may not be entirely true…" the navi started before a resounding BOOM was heard throughout the Net Area. The commander's mouth dropped as he looked from the path leading to Security Area 2 to the navi in front of him. Quickly shaking himself out of his stupor, he took control of the situation.

"You're kidding me! This is impossible! Everyone! I don't care what you have to do or what battle chips you must use! Take him down!" the commander yelled as a gray cloaked navi came walking into Security Area 3. The navi stood a little taller than Megaman's height, but the mere fact that his face was covered worried the commander.

In moments, the navi was bombarded by Hyper Bombs, Vulcan 2s, and Hi-Cannons. They fired their weapons until nothing but smoke was left in their sight. After several minutes, the commander raised his arm, which served as a cease fire. The army of twenty navis behind him stopped and stood at attention.

As the smoke cleared, the commander's jaw dropped. The navi was still standing. In fact, he hadn't even looked damaged. When the navi got a better look at his opponent, he realized that there was a purplish aura around him.

"I'm sorry, were you doing something? I hadn't noticed," the mysterious navi said. No one could tell since his face was covered in shadow, but he was smirking. Was this truly the only thing that stood between him and retrieving what was his?

"FIRE AGAIN!" the commander yelled.

Before the navis could resume their barrage, the navi tightened his fist, his aura flared even more. As amused as he was by the flies, he had not time to deal with their pointless drivel. He raised his palm, "Be gone…Wood Tower."

In mere seconds, each of the navis had a spike running through them. The security navis were in shock. Normally they could recover from a Wood Tower attack, but this didn't feel like one. No this one felt a lot more painful. And it was supposed to be. Unlike the real attack, these spikes were not trees; they were purple spikes coming from the ground. As the barbs went away, all the navis crumpled to the ground. Many of them were deleted upon impact on the ground. The spears had done their work.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I say Wood Tower? I meant Bug Spike. Simple slip of the tongue."

The commander slowly got up to his feet. He couldn't let this mad navi get away with this. He would protect SciLab and its data until the moment he was deleted. However, even the strong guard could feel fear override his senses as the mysterious navi walked up to him.

"I commend you on your efforts. But," the navi said before summoning an eerie looking sword. Electricity crackled around it, "I really need that data that's in the archives."

The commander was deleted in a second. Literally. As his data scattered, the cloaked navi continued walking into SciLab. The main firewall was still up. Although without the other navis, he got to the end of Security Area 4 in record time. He dropped his aura and prepared to smash through the final barrier that stood between him and his beloved program. Before he moved though, he collapsed to his feet. The strength had left his body. It was as if all his power had suddenly left him.

"I told you not to use your powers. But what did you do? You went ahead and used the aura. I told you that you would have been fine with the battle chips I had given you." a feminine voice scolded.

"I can make it!" the navi said, trying to push himself up to his feet. But he merely fell down again. He could see his cloak beginning to dissipate. If only he could control himself!

"No, you can't. I'm jacking you out. There were only a few navis this time. But now, we've alerted them. They'll be more next time. We need a new approach."


	2. Chapter 1

**Day 1 Part 1 - Memories Into The Past**

_"Hey, dad! Look what I did at school!"_ _a small six year old Mayl said happily as walked into her kitchen with a paper in hand. She had just finished unpacking her bag from school. Today was one of the few days when he was actually at home. Being from Netopia, her father seemed natural inclined to do business there. Sometimes, she often wondered why they lived in Electopia when he seemed to be away all the time. Although if they had to move now, she would definitely miss her neighbors, the Hikaris. Especially Lan. He wasn't a bright kid; but he was fun to hang around._

_ "Can you show me later? I'm busy right now." Her father said as he returned back to his phone call. He was a rather big man; not enough to be fat, but just enough to poke. He never seemed to wear anything other than his brown suit, even in their home—which often confused Mayl. She knew that suits didn't exactly look comfortable. Mayl felt her spirit dampen a bit, but decided to stick around and show her father her work. _

_The small girl walked up to a seat and jumped in. This was the part she hated. Although she was six, she knew when she was second place in her father's life. Mayl sighed quietly. Even Dex's dad was more fun than hers. He even came over longer! And then there was his mom. She was such a sweet lady, but she had unfortunately passed away only three months ago. Now, Dex was all by himself. Although his father made frequent trips back to Electopia, from what Dex told her, he often called to check up on him. She was lucky if she even got an email sometimes._

_ After several minutes, her father, finally, hung up the phone, "I'm so sorry sweetie; important business."_

_ "It's okay." She said, lying through her teeth. It wasn't okay. It hurt. But as long as she could get a word in, she might as well stay silent, "I wanted to show you this picture I made in class today." Mayl showed her father the crudely drawn picture of two people. One was short with red hair while the other was taller with blond. She was only six years old; she wasn't an artist._

_ "It's a nice picture, Mayl." He said nicely._

_ "See, there's you and there's me!" she said, pointing out the two people in the drawing excitedly. _

_ "Yes, I see that," he smiled slightly before the phone rang again. He looked at his daughter sadly before picking back up the phone and resuming his business._

_ Mayl's excitement dropped as her father had once again, managed to brush her off. She looked down at the ground and walked back to her room. She knew that she had been beat. When she got up to her room, she was greeted by her only friend in this house. The only good thing her father gave her, Roll. Her net navi smiled at her, but soon her face dropped once she saw her NetOp's._

_ "Mayl? Are you okay? What's wrong?" Roll asked concerned._

_ "He barely even looked at it," she mumbled as plopped in a chair right in front of her PC where Roll was jacked into. The small girl looked as if she was about to burst into tears as she quietly sniffled._

_ "Can I see it?" Roll asked politely. Mayl propped up the picture so that her net navi could see, "Mayl, this looks great! And you know what, you should hang it up! Maybe even right here in the corner of your computer!"_

_ "Really?" she sniffed, "But wait, then I can't see you."_

_ "Hmm…then how about on that wall!" the pink navi said excitedly._

_ The girl turned around to see a bare pink wall. The kind of wall that screamed "please decorate me", "I think you're right! Thanks Roll!"_

_ "Mayl, you don't need to thank for that! I'm your net navi, I would do anything to see that you're happy."_

_ "Anything?"_

_ "Well, as long as it's not breaking the law…but yeah. What are best friends for?"_

_ "Yeah!"_

* * *

Mayl opened her eyes as the sun began to stream into her bedroom. As she got up, she shook her head. That same dream again. She closed her eyes as she tried to rid her brain of the mental video that would not stop replaying. She hated that dream. Ever since that day she had been having this nightmare over and over again. Getting out of bed, she walked up to her PC. Roll was still dead asleep on the floor and it was 10:00 in the morning. But then again, she had been out last night with Megaman. Seeing as how it was winter break, Mayl smiled and allowed her navi to sleep in. She carefully closed the door, as to not wake her, and slipped downstairs.

The floor was cold as it always was this earlier. No one was ever here beside her and Lan when he made his frequent visits. She walked over to the fridge and grabbed some milk. Time for some cereal. Like every morning since she had gotten that stupid email, she had tried to drown herself in boring, rigid schedules. However, her routine was getting old and worst of all, more and more noticeable. Especially to Lan. Ever since she had started dating him, he had lost his veil of denseness…at least when it came to her. It would only be a matter of time before he would start asking questions. She would need to avoid him for as long as she could.

As she sat down at the table, she flicked on a light in order to take some of the gloom out of her home. Well, her father's home…she didn't really know anymore. Sure, this was the home she grew up in, but it wasn't her home all the same. The only good memories she had in this place were really only when her friends came over to say hi and sometimes even that wasn't too often. Her father had bought the home when he first met her mother. Apparently someone had told him that it would be good for him to have real estate in both countries in case he needed to travel and did not want a hotel. But most times when he was at home he would give her a small sad smile and return back to work. She never really asked why because she didn't know how. Whenever he was home, he seemed to almost forget her existence. And she hated him for it.

She never remembered hating anyone like she hated that man. He had been everything but a father to her. In fact, the moment she had started to take care of herself, a little before fifth grade, he seemed to become almost none existent. Hmph. Like he ever was existent in the first place.

Lost in her emotions, she didn't even hear the front door open. A man with brown hair walked through the door, closed it, and went right up to Mayl. Confused, the young man waved his hand in front of the girl's face a few times. She didn't even blink. It didn't even register to her that Lan was right next to her while she was still in her sleepwear until she felt something on her cheek. Mayl froze instantly, slightly turned her head, shrieked, and then fell out of her chair and onto the floor. Who the heck was that? Who had just kissed her cheek? She was sure she hadn't left the door unlocked. Her answer came in the form of her boyfriend's laughter…and the sound of him falling on the ground because of it.

"Mayl! You should've seen you face!" Lan cried.

Heat rose to Mayl's cheeks as she narrowed her eyes. How dare he! Didn't he know better than to pick on defenseless women while they were in mid thought? At the very least, not to laugh at their expense when they were caught off guard! Well, if he was going down this road, she might as well help him get to his destination, "Alright, Hikari. Wanna play a game?" She said slyly.

The change in Mayl's voice was what alerted him. Normally, that meant she was about to get back at him for something. Before he could even put up a defense, his girlfriend had already pounced on him and started tickling him. Soon laughter was the only thing that filled the house as the two carried on as if they were kids once again. After several minutes, Mayl finally allowed Lan to breathe again.

"Man," she breathed, "I can't believe you're still ticklish!"

"Me neither…" he said, gasping for air. He had half a mind to return the attack, but decided to be a good boy. Who knew if she would retaliate like that again? Or worse…wait until the next time he came over and let his guard down.

"So, what are you doing here?" she asked. She didn't bother asking how he had gotten in; she had given him a key to her house ever since they started college. Even though they both went to DenTech University, Mayl had decided to stay at home to lower the cost. Although both she and Lan had actually received scholarships, she couldn't help but take the opportunity to just stay at home. Besides, by the time she came back, she would have to clean the whole thing just to live in it again. Just in case Lan got into trouble and for whatever reason he didn't want to go to his own house, she had given him a key so that he could get in anytime.

"I wanted know if you wouldn't mind coming to SciLab with me. Dad called me earlier and said that something had happened overnight. So, I thought that it would be more fun if I had someone with me... and if you weren't busy, we could go somewhere afterwards?"

Mayl giggled as she bumped him, "You're a sly one, Lan. If you just wanted to ask me on a date, you just had to ask."

"Well, I'm complicated." Lan said smirking as he pulled her close. The moment was perfect for a kiss…that was until Roll came in the picture.

"What's going on?" the pink navi yawned as she jumped into Lan's PET. The racket from earlier had woken her up. When she had heard Lan's voice, she had drowsily found her way to his PET to check up on everything.

Mayl sighed. Normally, Roll was very respectful of her moments with Lan—and vice versa with her moments with Megaman. But in the morning, she was a sleepyhead. Often times, she wouldn't truly wake up until after Mayl had taken her shower. This normally led to some funny moments when the pink navi would drowsily tell her to wake up and go right back to sleep, "Nothing Roll. Good morning by the way."

"Morning," she yawned again, beginning to become more alert.

"Wait, how are you even in my PET? There's a new passcode on it." Lan asked.

"Mega gave me the code last night when we came back from our date." the pink navi said as she rubbed her eyes, "Speaking of him, where is he?"

"Oh, he's out running an errand for me. He should be back in a couple of minutes. Oh and by the way," Lan said as he reached into his jacket pocket and handed Mayl a small box, "It's not your actual present, but consider it like part one!"

As Mayl opened the box, she gaped. Looking back at Lan for a quick moment, she smiled widely and pulled the boy in for a kiss. When they finally stopped, Lan decided to break the silence, "Wow. Mayl, don't buy PETs anymore cause that's my job from now on."

Mayl merely laughed at her boyfriend's antics. He had gotten her a new PET and that wasn't even her Christmas present! Even the color scheme was perfect, pink and white! How could this boy be so nice, "This must have cost you a lot of money. Wait, didn't you get one too? How'd you pay for two?"

"Did I ever tell you about Mic and Tab from Central City?"

"Uh…yeah. I think I remember those two. One of them worked a chip store and the other was followed around by a penguin right?"

"Yep. Anyway, Tab's been kinda…generous. He's convinced that I need to get more perks as a hero of the world. So, I've been getting chips and PETs at a really low price from since I moved back to ACDC. Don't tell Higsby though. He's been wondering who's been selling me chips to beat his prices for the past couple of years."

"Wow!" she started getting a lot closer to him, "So, how many other secrets have you been keeping from me?"

"None, I promise." Lan said, unaffected by Mayl's sly advance.

"Well then, I'm going to get dressed. I'll be back down in a bit. Oh, and if you wouldn't mind, can you save transfer my PET's saves into this one. I'd rather not have to go through and recollect Merges. I've already heard yours and Megaman's complaints about it."

"Of course. Just give me the PET when we get on the train. It actually doesn't take too long."

"Alright, and Lan?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."


	3. Chapter 2

**Day 1 Part 2 - Blades and Bombs**

"So someone broke in?" Mayl asked. After she returned from her room, she found that Megaman had returned and they all left for SciLab after that. Once they got into Dr. Hikari's office, he had informed them of a major attack that had happened within the mainframe during the course of the night.

"Yes, unfortunately. Not only that, but this navi managed to destroy seventy security navis before it mysteriously stopped," the doctor sighed, "And just when I thought I would actually be able to enjoy a vacation time. They keep on telling me that I need to take some hours off at some point of time and just when I do, I'm called back."

"So, why'd he stop?" Lan asked. If he was still a kid, he would have told his father that everything would've been okay. However, though he acted like it sometimes, Lan was no child anymore. The navi had destroyed everything in its path and then left before getting what it wanted. At least it seemed so. After all, SciLab's main programs were untouched and the archive section had not been breached. If it didn't get what it wanted, then it would be back to reclaim whatever it had come for. But why had it gone in the first place?

"I'm not sure. It appears that it made it as far as Security Area 3 before the navi vanished. Thank goodness for that, who knows what it could have done if it got into the archives." The doctor sighed.

"I don't get it. What's so special about the archives?" Roll asked.

"That's where SciLab keeps all its outdated programs. The problem is that there are a lot of them. Imagine someone seeing your whole life without seeing the most recent two years of it. They would still be able to know a tremendous amount of information about you. Same rules apply. Even if they didn't go for the newest programs, they could still use the outdated versions and eventually use them for unplanned purposes." Dr. Hikari answered, "But even that isn't the scary part. Somehow, this navi managed to puncture one of the most powerful security systems in all of Electopia. It is either incredibly powerful or has a lot of help from an outside source."

"You think it could be Bass?" Roll asked. She had never met the legendary navi; but from the stories that Megaman told her, she wasn't sure if she really wanted to.

"It's not likely. It's not his style. Bass seeks a challenge. He wouldn't attack in a time in which he knows no one powerful would be in his way. Plus, the only reason he would be up here is to find me." Megaman replied. He too had considered his dark rival to be behind the attack for a brief moment. But nothing added up. Bass had no reason to attack. Plus, after he and Lan had defeated him in the Underground several years ago, he had never resurfaced. It was like he was just gone.

Megaman closed his eyes as he tried to think. Bass was more than powerful enough to come back from the "dead"; he had done it many times by now. Still, who else had such incredible power to destroy one of SciLab's strongest firewalls? As he continued his thoughts, the sharp sound of a siren interrupted him.

"What's going on, dad?" Lan asked, alarmed.

His father typed in several keys on the keyboard before answering, "It appears as if the outmost firewall has been hit. And pretty bad too. We set it up after the energy signature disappeared from the network last night. And this is just what we didn't need. We're still modifying the new security navis. They won't be operational for another hour!"

"Then we're just going to have to stall for them. Dad, where does the outmost fire wall connect to on the Net?" Lan asked.

"That should be SciLab Square. We took Megaman's advice and separated the main servers from the Net. The only way in is from the Square. You should be able to reach there from this computer." Dr. Hikari explained.

"Alright! Coming, Mayl?"

"Sure!" the girl replied excitedly. Although she didn't enjoy it too terribly much, she sort of missed the rush she got from playing the hero.

"Jack in, Megaman, Execute!"

"Jack in, Roll, Execute!"

* * *

As both navis reached SciLab Square, they were both internally grateful for the fact that there was no deranged network to go through. However, the scene in front of them was much more underwhelming than they suspected. SciLab Square had two entry points, one from the Net and one from within SciLab. To go into SciLab main network, you needed a passcode that was only given to employees and interns. However, anyone could come in from the Net.

This little problem had allowed two humanoid navis to enter the square. But, the issue was that they were both completely unaware of just where they were at.

One of the navis was a purplish color with a helmet and shades firmly on his face. There was no indication of him having hair. On his back where two scabbards, which were currently empty since he was holding the two katanna-like blades in front of him. His emblem, crossed swords, was located where his ears should have been on his helmet. The other was orange in color with a blonde mullet like hair style. His green eyes looked calculating yet slightly mad at the same time. In the place of his hands were two small drills, nor more than the size of a hand really. However, as Roll looked again, she realized a peculiar thing. He didn't have a navi symbol.

"You know Crashman. You should leave not to listen and fight. Things could end up going bad for you. Blade Rush!" the purple navi readied on of his blades and sliced through the air. The ripple caused an energy wave to form and hit the orange one, Crashman, square in his chest.

The navi hit the ground and groaned. His breathing was hard as he tried to get back up. It appeared as though this fight had only just gotten into SciLab Square by accident and had gone on for a lot longer than what had been previously thought.

"Mega…he's going to be deleted if we don't break this up!" Roll said. She didn't really care what the fight was about, but it was the Christmas season! Couldn't they try to kill each other on a different occasion?

"I know! Lan, I need some help!" Megaman said.

"Already on the way. Heat Cross! Lava Shot! Download!" Megaman glowed for a second before adapting to his Heat Cross. His body suit turned orange and armor appeared around his chest. Fire blazed from his helmet as two wires connected from to his gloves.

"Ready Roll? Pyra Merge! Anti-Sword! Download!" Roll's color changed from her bright pink to her fiery red design.

Nodding to each other, both navis charged forward to stop the battle before it was too late.

"Battle Routine, Set!" both operators yelled.

"Execute!"

* * *

Despite it being a really stupid idea, Roll decided to commit to her plan. She sprinted ahead of Mega and jumped in front of the purple navi. Of course, the navi had been taken aback…but later decided that he would get two for the price of one. If only he knew she wasn't just a cute face.

"Blaze Circle!" Roll said as a fire surrounded her and Crashman. The move had been unexpected and the navi was forced to jump back to avoid the heat. Roll was tempted to turn around and ask if Crashman was okay, but that would leave her wide open to an attack. Brawler? No. Idiot? Not that either.

"You! You'll pay for that! I'll delete both of you! Blade Rush!" he yelled and fired another wave. Roll smirked, good thing Mayl had seen that move coming. As she took the attack, her body began to glow green and she countered with three of her own waves.

"Mega!" Roll yelled out seeing the blue navi coming to her side. He could take it from here; she finally turned her attention to Crashman.

"You dare turn you back on me! I'll show you a thing or two about respect, you little pest!" the purple navi said.

"I wouldn't think about that! Fire Arm!" Megaman yelled as his hand morphed into a flamethrower and fired at the navi. Flames once again smoldered around the navi and he was once again forced to drop back.

"Oh, and she's not a pest! Lava Shot!" his arm once again switched weaponry and now was replaced by a weapon that reminded him of Heat Shot. However, the lava clumps that shot out of it were certainly not as weak as the fire. As the navi was struck again, the lava began to harden over his him as it cooled.

"What! Megaman?" the purple navi said as he recoiled from the damage. He knew all about the legendary blue bomber and knew one thing, he wouldn't stand a single chance against him. Especially since he could no longer move his torso properly, "I didn't sign up for this! I'm out of here! Mark my words, Crashman, I will get you!"

The navi jacked out before Megaman could get another word in.

* * *

"He's been badly damaged. And unfortunately, this is more than just battle damage so not even sub chips will be helpful. I'm going to have to run a program in order to save him. It's going to take some time, but he should be good to go within a couple of days." Dr. Hikari said as he ran the navi recovery program. He would at least be able to save this navi from being deleted.

"Well, that's good. So, I guess we'll be heading home then?" Mayl asked.

"Yeah, I think that's enough excitement for one day. I'll be by again tomorrow, dad!" Lan said, taking his girlfriend's hand.

"Alright, I should be back home by 10 tonight, so tell mom not to worry." The doctor smiled at the young couple as they walked out hand in hand. This outcome was almost inevitable; after all they did spend most of their lives together.

Each group bid their good byes and Lan and Mayl headed back home.


	4. Chapter 3

**Day 2 Part 1 - Trying To Find Out**

As Lan walked back to SciLab the next day, he couldn't help but think about Mayl. Over the past weeks, she had become very distant. In fact, and maybe he was just being overprotective, but he thought he saw the faintest of rings around her eyes. When he had popped in earlier that morning, she had still been asleep. Roll was somewhat up though; she drowsily said she would let Mayl know that he stopped by. Lan wasn't actually too confident in the navi's abilities to remember while she was half asleep though.

Despite seeing her actually getting some rest, he still thought something was bugging her. However, she hadn't given him any kind of idea about what could be wrong. He was as blind as everyone else, which for him was disturbing. They had been dating for two years. They had been neighbors and friends for as long as he could remember. For him not to be able to read her was like not being able to recall a book you had read over a thousand times. It just didn't make sense.

"Hey, Lan. You okay?" Megaman asked.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just thinking about Mayl. Is it me or has she been not herself recently?" Lan said, concern in his voice.

"Hm. Come to think of it, she's been quieter than usually over the past three weeks. But, I'm sure it's nothing to serious. Maybe she's just coming down with something?" Megaman offered.

"Maybe, but that seems like something that she would tell me about."

"Lan, she doesn't have to tell you everything in her life immediately when it happens. Give her some time, she'll tell you eventually."

"Perhaps… Hey Megaman, what did Dad what me to do today at SciLab?"

"Oh, he wanted to show you some of the schematics for the new security navis. I think you're just looking though. The programming for them is already done; I think he just wants to show you how one is coded."

Lan smirked, "Good, so that mean I won't be needing you today."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Megaman asked.

"How would you respond if I requested you, my helpful brother, to go ask Roll what was bugging Mayl?"

"I would say that you're crazy. Going around Mayl still doesn't make it right to snoop in her business."

"Hub, I just want to make sure that she's okay."

"Lan, you still need to be respectful of her privacy."

"I suppose," he said with his down trodden look…for a brief couple of seconds. He suddenly picked his head back up and began smiling at Megaman, which sort of freaked the blue navi out, "So, you want the pillow snuggling picture sent to Gutsman or Protoman?"

Megaman's eyes widened, "Hold on, wait what! I got rid of that thing when you upgraded the PET! I deleted it myself!"

"Back ups bro. I'm smarter now than when I was when I was eleven. So, are you going to choose or will I have to? I'm thinking this would go well in a nice little baby picture frame."

"Fine…you win." Megaman said. Lan walked into SciLab and jacked him into the Net through a terminal. Once his brother had disappeared, Lan smirked as he walked to his father's office. It was too easy to trick Megaman sometimes. Lan took a breath and gave a genuine smile. With his brother "helping" him out, he would finally be able to think about something else other than Mayl for the next few hours.

* * *

Megaman walked back and forth in front of Roll's portal. Why did Lan just have to have a copy of that shot? Wait? Why did he even care so much? Oh right, cause Protoman and Gutsman would never allow him to live it down. He knew he was being somewhat shallow, but the idea of being endlessly teased for weeks didn't bode well for him either.

As he entered into the PC space, he saw Roll barely staying awake. Of course, with her operator still asleep, she didn't have a reason to be awake. It was a Saturday morning during winter break after all. Although she had been up earlier, she hadn't been too coherent. Even though she normally laid down before she went to sleep, sometimes Roll would simply go to sleep standing up, fall down onto the floor, and stay asleep. Megaman had caught her on a few of those unplanned trust falls when Lan sent Mayl important emails about projects early in the morning back when they were in high school.

He walked up to the drowsy navi and covered her eyes. He was hoping that the sudden darkness would jolt her awake; besides, he would finally be able to use on of her favorite games on her for a change! Of course, since she wasn't really awake, Roll thought she had just merely fallen asleep and her body went into free fall. Even though in the back of her mind, something told her that her landing should not have been as soft as it was. Roll paid no attention to it; she was grateful for it. Whatever this new material that covered her floor was, it was comfortable and perfect for sleeping on. Unfortunately, her nap was interrupted by never ending poking.

Roll lazily opened her eyes again to identify just who would interrupt her from going to sleep. A quick check revealed that it was just Megaman trying to get up from underneath her. Huh, that's why her landing was so soft. She would have to convince Lan to come over more often so she could use Mega as a pillow.

Wait…

"AHH!" Roll yelled, jumping up into the air, "MEGA! WHEN DID YOU GET HERE?"

"Shhh. Just a few seconds ago. Do you really need to shout?" he asked, as he picked himself up from the ground.

"Oh sorry. Anyway, what are you doing here? I thought you were going to be with Lan and your dad all day."

"Slight change in plans. Um…okay, there really isn't any good way of saying this, so I'm just going to say it. Lan's worried about Mayl. He thinks that she's upset about something but she's not telling him. So, do you know what's wrong?"

Roll's gaze narrowed, "So, you expect me to rat out my best friend's feelings for what reason?"

"So Protoman or Gutsman don't see an embarrassing picture of me?" he squeaked. Even though he was her boyfriend, everyone knew that Roll could get overprotective about people she cared about. While this loop included Megaman, it also contained Mayl as well. Roll closed her eyes and for a second she seemed to even be in favor of it. Megaman almost felt himself beginning to relax. But then she brought down a menu and killed her link to the Net. And Lan was busy with navi designs and codes. Which meant that he would be unable to jack out. Uh oh. "Hub Hikari." She said, pulling out an icy stare.

Megaman tried to avoid all eye contact. Sure she was cute, but she could kill with her stares sometimes. _'Stare at anything else but her eyes. Hey, that floor looks pretty.' _Megaman knew one look at Roll and he would be done for. It was like his mom looking at Lan when he did something wrong as a kid. No amount of begging could save you unless you were five with a cute pudgy face and puppy dog eyes. Megaman waited about one minute before taking a quick peek back at his irritated girlfriend. Immediately he was glad he did.

The pink navi had puffed up her checks in an attempt to show her annoyance. But to Megaman, it looked like she was just trying to make herself cuter, which caused him to laugh. Angry and cute were a deadly combination that could only result in amusement. Roll sighed as she dropped the face and looked at her boyfriend as he laughed. She knew it would have only been a matter of time before he had figured out to get around her; maybe she should ask Mayl for some ideas.

Realizing she was beat, the pink navi merely walked over to Megaman, who finally calmed down, and poked him in the stomach, "Don't you know you're not supposed to laugh at a girl when she's upset at you?"

"Stop trying to be mad while making a cute face. The combination is just too funny." He breathed before hugging the navi. It was clear that he would be out of danger for a while.

"It's sweet of Lan. Though your reasons are a little less than to be desired, Hub." She said.

"Sorry, I told him that she would tell him eventually."

"Mega," Roll paused for a bit, "you know if Mayl told me not to tell anyone about what she was going through I wouldn't unless her life depended on it right?"

"I figured as much."

"Tell Lan he's going to have to find out for himself. Personally, I really hope he does; she won't tell me anything either."

"What?" Megaman was surprised. There wasn't a single thing he knew about Mayl that Roll hadn't known. For her not know what was going on with Mayl...it just didn't make any sense.

"Yeah, it's weird. I don't know why she's being so secretive. She got an email some weeks ago, but she wouldn't let me read it. I've been fighting the temptation to go into the PET's systems and look at it for myself. I'm pretty sure she hasn't deleted it yet.

"But she's been trying to do the same thing over and over again. Wake up at this time. Eat only this specific menu. It's getting ridiculous! And every time I try to talk to her, she just gives me this sad look and tells me that she's alright. And it kills me because I know she's not.

"Why would she lie to me? I'm her best friend! I just don't understand. We've told each other everything. Why doesn't she just talk to me again?" she said as tears had started to form in her eyes. She felt Megaman's hold tighten around her.

"I don't know, Roll. But maybe this whole thing is more serious than we all thought."

"For once, Hub, I really hope you're not right."


	5. Chapter 4

**Day 2 Part 2 - Malls Contain Evil...**

Lan had made a mental note to self to never go for a full day without lunch ever again. Despite lacking the voracious appetite of his youth, Lan still needed three meals a day. Megaman had come back around lunchtime and had informed him about what Roll had said. Lan had to admit, the fact that Mayl wasn't telling Roll what was bugging her really scared him. Just what was she trying to hide?

Nonetheless, since he was out of options, he decided to finally take his brother's advice and leave the distraught girl alone. After leaving SciLab, he decided to head out to the mall in the Town District. As he walked through the town, he couldn't help but think about Jason and Saria Robinson. Saria had told Mayl that she would keep in touch, but he hadn't seen her since the incident during the summer of that year.

Shaking his head free of his thoughts, he entered the mall. He still had quite a bit of Christmas shopping to do, including getting Mayl an actually Christmas gift. He felt it was only fair for him to get Mayl a new PET the same time he had gotten one, especially when he got the device for so cheap. As he walked through the building, he had managed to grab some things here and there for people, but still had not found his special woman something. After two hours of searching, he was beginning to become frustrated with his lack of progress.

"Ugh…I think I've checked every story and I still haven't got anything for Mayl." Lan said exasperatedly.

"I told you that you should've made the PET her Christmas gift. But, as always, you never listen to me," Megaman pointed out.

"Hey, don't you have Christmas shopping to do yourself?"

"Lan, I'm a navi. We give each other battlechips or zenny for Christmas. I'm already covered."

"Well, aren't you lucky."

"Yes, yes I am."

"Not helping, Megaman…"

"Sorry. Well, there is one store that you haven't checked yet. It's all the way on the other side of the mall, but who knows you may find something!"

"Let's hope. These bags are getting heavy." Lan said as he trudged forward into the mall.

* * *

"Hey, sir! You can't be in here! This is a restricted area!" a security navi called out. However as he got closer to the dark navi in question, he felt a sudden chill run down through him. Something was not right about this navi. For one, his design was creepy. His body suit was a deep black, but the thing that unnerved the navi the most was that he was bound in chains. His emblem on his chest showed that of a ghost.

"Who is to tell me what is restricted? You? Ha! Stay out of my way. I have a job to do." The dark navi turned his grey eyes away from the security officer and began to glow, "Rise warrior of the dead! Take back your data which has been lost!"

To the security navi's surprise, data began to swirl in front of the mysterious navi, "What is this!" He said as he summoned his cannon and started to fire. However, the data moved and intercepted the attack. It merely knocked the shot out of the way.

To his surprise, the data began to change and, in a few seconds, a red and orange navi appeared before him. His eyes were blank, but this form looked old. In fact, several years old to be honest. He could see the data flow inside of him like veins in the human body. However, the navi raised his arm and a boomerang shot out, smacking the security officer.

The chained navi collapsed to his knees and breathed in deeply. As he gathered his breath, he noticed the security navi get up and call for back up.

"Stop him! When you have destroyed the enemies, come and find me. You will know the way." the dark navi said as he jacked out. He would not be able to fight in his current condition, but he had already done his job. Now all he needed to do was wait.

The navi simply nodded and he zoomed into the Mall Net Area.

* * *

"What! What do you mean this cost two million zennies! The shelf said one thousand!" Lan exclaimed. He still hadn't found something for Mayl, but he had found a nice set of pots for his Mom. She had been complaining about how all her kitchenware was getting old and how she needed some new sets for a few months now.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I'm having some problems with the machine." The cashier said as she tried to scan the items again. But the numbers went even higher than the first time! "What is going on with this stupid thing?" she groaned.

"Would you mind me taking a look at it?" Lan asked.

"Um…sure. Just don't tell my boss okay." She said as she allowed Lan to jack in Megaman into the Net.

* * *

"Whoa…Lan, I think something's up." Megaman said as he landed in the Mall Area 1.

"What makes you say that?" Lan asked, as he brought up his window.

"Cause the whole place is dead. Not even the Mr. Programs are here! Normally the mall area is packed to the brim! Oh, and it's really cold in here. It's like someone managed to turn off the heat."

"Geez, my PET says it would be about 30 degrees Fahrenheit in the real world! Megaman, I need you to find out just what's going on here!"

"Roger!"

* * *

As Megaman ran along the paths, he began to hear the sound of fighting. But just who would be fighting in a mall of all places? He soon figured out his answer; and to say that it surprised him would be an understatement.

Megaman hadn't seen Quickman in several years. He shuddered as he remembered the many different paths he had to take in order to stop him and his operator, Dave. He was still afraid to go to the Bank Net Area to this day.

"Megaman, please tell me I'm dreaming."

"You're not. I see him too. And I'm not believing it."

Quickman dispatched the last of the security navis that had attempted to dog pile him. He seemed just as strong as he remembered him. And as he looked at Megaman and zoomed up to him, the blue navi saw that he was just as annoyingly fast as he had been as well. The navi grabbed Megaman and threw him along the Net Area. Megaman skidded to a halt and bounced back up to his feet.

"Alright. Now I believe it. Lan!"

"Right! Battle Routine, Set!"

"Execute!"

* * *

Megaman wasn't sure what unnerved him more. The fact that Quickman was back or that he wasn't talking. For a navi who had come back from the dead and considering his old personality, the blue bomber was expecting to have to tell Quickman to be quiet already. Ridding his head of his thoughts, Megaman readied his buster and fired several shots. However, he had forgotten that Quickman merely deflected any shot while he was standing still. He would have to wait for his opportunity. The second Quickman moved, Megaman attacked.

"Now, Lan!" he said.

"Right! Long Blade! White Capsule! Wide Blade! Download!" Megaman swung the long blade at his opponent, but Quickman barely dodged it. The red navi smirked as he noticed his foe's swipe; more specifically, how he swiped it. As Megaman surged forward with his wide blade, Quickman merely step side and caught the blade. The navi grinned like a madman as he held his hated enemy by his own weapon.

"Um…I don't remember him doing this." Megaman said sheepishly as he was once again thrown, airborne this time.

"Quick Boomerang!" the navi yelled as he launched several boomerangs at Megaman. Left to flail in the air, Megaman took the hit and landed back on the ground.

"I don't think short range is the way to go." he groaned as he got back up to his feet.

"Right! Roll Cross! Recover 150! Tri-Arrow 3! Download!" Megaman's body suit changed into that of his Roll Soul. As his data recovered from the damage, Megaman took aim and fired a little off to the right. He had guessed right. Quickman, thinking that he was being directly aimed at had moved off to the side and had taken the arrows head on.

"Program Advance! Element Arrow 1, 2, and 3. Elemental Barrage! Let him have it, Megaman!" Megaman charged up another shot and fired his Roll Arrow at the navi.

Being the cocky navi he was, Quickman moved again in order to catch the arrow…just to fall into Megaman's trap. Quickman had left himself wide open for an attack. Megaman had already used the Program Advance and had fired several arrows at a rapid pace.

Quickman couldn't stop them as he stood there stupidly with an arrow in his hand. Some froze him. Some paralyzed him. Others confused him. And the rest just hurt. By the time he was done, Quickman's data was once again falling apart.

'_No'_, Quickman thought, _'I have to get out of here.'_ His master wouldn't like it that he had failed, but maybe he would forgive him. The navi looked at Megaman with blank eyes and zoomed towards him. Slashing with his head's boomerang, he caused Megaman to jump back. The red and orange navi looked up and jumped. Just as Megaman thought that he was coming in for another attack, a light surrounded the navi. Megaman relaxed as the light faded. Somehow, even in his damaged state, Quickman had managed to jack out. But to where?

Megaman switched out of Roll Cross and back into his normal bodysuit, "You okay, Lan?"

"I was never in trouble…well my wallet might have been. But nothing that some virus busting wouldn't have solved!"

"Don't even joke about that…the last time we had to get 30,000 zenny was a nightmare for me." Megaman said dryly as Lan jacked him out and paid for his mother's Christmas gift.

* * *

Quickman edged his way forward to the dark hole. This was where he was supposed to go. He could feel the force that had called him here at its strongest. As he walked, he couldn't help but think about his current position.

He didn't know why he was still alive. He knew that the Net now was several years newer than he was. But what was his purpose here? And where was Dave? How exactly had he been raised from the corners of the Grave Net? Before he could give it more thought, he felt a sharp pain as he walked forward. When he looked down, the pain left him but the damage had been done. What kind of betrayal was this?

A hole replaced the spot where his navi emblem had been. Quickman didn't need to turn around. A gray cloaked navi walked from behind him, his sword switching back into his fists. The navi released his fists only to slam his hand into Quickman's core. Quickman knew he was as good as deleted, but this time he felt something weird. His data was not dispersing back into the Net. No, it was…flowing into his deleter? No, this wasn't possible. Navis couldn't just absorb other navis…could they? The red and orange navi screamed as he was reduced to nothing but data. And just as quickly as his life had come back, it had disappeared.

"Excellent work, Mortis! How many more can you bring me?" the cloaked navi said as the remaining bits of Quickman's data downloaded himself into him. The navi shuddered a bit as the download finished; it was weird downloading their personalities. However, soon he wouldn't have to worry about that much more. Just as long as everything went according to plan. His chained companion walked up to him.

"As much as you need, but it will take much time. The process drains me completely. It may take a year for me to collect all the navis you need. After all, many of them have been lost to years worth of new network data. It will be hard to revive them, but I will be able to do the job."

"I see. Well, continue your work. I will try to find a faster means to give me the power I need." The cloaked navi said as he turned to leave. He still needed to talk to his NetOp who had been slaving over a computer for the past two days.

"Yes, as you command…Void."

* * *

Update: Monday

Anyway...now that you're done...you can go read this story which is also being updated today [if I beat her to the update, then just check back on the story later today] (please support this story and author!) s/5362425/1/Degree-180

Also advanced sorry since there will be a lot a few mentions of Christmas since this story is placed a week or two before the day. Hope you guys had a great Christmas (or holiday whichever you prefer) and thanks for reading. Don't forget to check out the Let's Play channel for my go at MMBN6: Cybeast Gregar! user/MidnightCommentaries/videos


	6. Chapter 5

**Day 3 Part 1 - Just Crashing In**

"Hey Mayl, you okay?" Lan asked as they rode the train to SciLab. It had been four days since they had discovered Crashman. Today, Dr. Hikari had called Lan and informed him that the navi was once again operational and that he wanted to talk with them.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking." She sighed. She had had that blasted dream again this morning. Only today was almost worse than other morning. Roll had been semiconscious when Mayl had woken up. If it wasn't for her drowsy state, Mayl was certain that her best friend would have realized that she was hiding something. It was bad enough that Lan was asking questions; she didn't want Roll on her case either.

"About Crashman?"

"No, it was about…" she trailed off. Why couldn't she say what was on her mind? Why did she feel the need to protect herself against Lan? She looked away from the boy and stared into her lap. She hadn't been fair to any of them. Not to Lan and not to Roll. They would do nothing but comfort her, so why did she not reveal to them her situation? Shoot, Roll already knew most of the story already. So then why didn't she just come out with it?

"Mayl, you know you can tell me anything right?" he said as he put an arm around her.

"I know…I'm sorry, it's just…" the train stopped. They had reached SciLab, "I guess we're here." She said as she got up from her seat.

Lan sighed and followed his girlfriend out of the train doors. He hated to know that something was wrong with Mayl and that there was nothing he could do about it. But until she told him, he was just going to have to live with it.

* * *

"Ah, there are the people of the hour!" Crashman said, "I was beginning to wonder if you were going to show up at all!"

Dr. Hikari groaned as put his hand to his head. He had never thought that the impatient navi could be such a pain to listen to. Since he had been reactivated, Crashman had been pacing back and forth, tapping his foot, and singing annoying songs to pass the time. If Dr. Hikari could go without hearing another letter song in his lifetime, he would be perfectly fine with that.

"Yes, well it takes some time for us humans to get around," the doctor said, very annoyed at this point. Seriously, was this navi programmed to be rude?

"So, why did you want to talk with us?" Mayl asked politely.

"First things first, pretty one. Jack your navis in." Crashman responded.

"Since when do you call the shots?" Lan grumbled, though the comment hadn't flown over his head.

"Well, sorry Mr. Grumps, but I want to make sure that I'm talking to the right operators. But, I guess you don't want to know what happened here four nights ago. But it's okay, I'll just take that little piece of knowledge with me until the end of time."

"What! You know who broke in?" Why would this fast talking, impolite navi know what happened to SciLab? Actually, the more Lan thought about it, the more sense it made. Surely, this navi couldn't be surrounded by a bunch of good influences, especially with an attitude like his.

"Maybe, maybe not. It's a gamble on what I know, but I guess you'll never know since it appears that you're going to stand there all day. So, you too going to jack in your navis or what? My time is quite precious."

* * *

Crashman knew he was going to be in for a good time when he saw the two navis. One was the great Megaman. He still found it hard to believe that this blue navi not only defeated the World Three three times, but eradicated the darkness on the Net as well as defeating the God of Destruction several times.

However, he cocked an eye at the pink one next to him. Where did this cute little angel fit in at all? He had heard rumors about her defeating a few navis within the past months as well as being a part of stopping whatever phenomenon that had happened during the summer. However, this girl didn't look like much of a fighter. Maybe she just charmed her enemies? Despite trying to keep his mind on his objective, he couldn't help but wonder if she was taken. She was quite the beauty.

"Ah, the great Megaman! You fame precedes you, my blue friend." Crashman made a mock bow.

Megaman, of course not used to the spotlight, felt a light blush rise to his cheeks, "Uh…thanks." He said, lamely.

"And you, what a lovely little sight you are my pink friend. I must admit I don't know your name. Even though, from what Dr. Hikari told me, it was you who saved me from that scoundrel, Blademan. I give you my sincerest thanks." Crashman said, walking a lot closer to them.

"Mega helped out a lot with that too. I'm Roll." She said uneasily as she went for Megaman's hand. Her actions did not go unnoticed by Crashman. Oh, a little romance in this picture too. So, she may have already a boyfriend, but it wasn't going to stop him from having a little fun.

"So," the brown haired boy appeared on a little screen next to Megaman, his female companion also appeared next to her navi, "You said that you knew something about the attack on SciLab?"

"Ah, straight to the point I see. I like your style, kid. Well, tell you the truth. The situation is a lot more complex that what you know right now. In fact, I will actually be willing to say that you guys are in some serious trouble." Crashman said nonchalantly.

"Serious trouble?" the red haired girl asked.

"Yes girl. I'm talking about some tough stuff here. Someone has it out for you guys. Mainly you, Megaboy." He saw the blue navi scowl at his new nickname, "You see, someone thinks you have something they want. I'm not really sure just what exactly, but I do know this. This group thinks you have it. See, they've been keeping track of you ever since you first made the news.

"Defeating that Life Virus was some good work But see now CHAOS wants you…well at least your programming. It's not so much you they really care about, it's what makes you that they're interested in. Everyone has heard of the countless times when you have used your friends' abilities to save the world. The crosses, the double souls, the style changes. All really powerful and all uncontrollable…unless the person controlling them is you.

"Now, just imagine, a hundred Megaman all under the control of one operator. Imagine the destruction that can come from that. Oh wait, you already know somewhat a little about that, don't you? After all, I heard you were quite the darkloid for the single day you held control that was. Have to say though, I'm glad you're not under the dark chip's control anymore. Regal wouldn't be the most fun person to live under."

He noticed that the blue navi had winced while he talked. It was almost as if the subject was some kind of untouched territory that no one seemed to talk about. Well, the past is the past isn't it, "I know that you're a good guy and all, but you've got some really awesome power under your belt. That's what CHAOS wants. They want your programming so that they can harness these abilities. And if they do, they'll be able to take over all of Net Society in one foul swoop."

Crashman then turned his head to Roll, "And you. Come to think of it, you may be on their list too. I'm not really sure why they would take an interest in such a sweet little thing like yourself. But who knows, maybe looks are deceiving. After all, I'm sure that some navi knows about you. Speaking of knowing about you, that reminds me…I haven't seen a navi by the name of Solarman recently. He was an old buddy of mine from a ways back. You wouldn't have seen him recently would you?"

Crashman knew he hit a nerve when Megaman shifted just a little bit and Roll took refuge behind him. The movement was just enough to give off a signal. Stop trying to talk to his girl. A protective one indeed and highly observant. Excellent. They were living up to their namesakes very well indeed. After all, you never did business with anyone that you haven't done research on.

"So, why did they attack SciLab?" Megaman asked, though Crashman did note the slight change in his voice. He was much more annoyed now than he had been moments before.

"Oh, that's an easy one. They thought that perhaps blueprints of your code existed here. Trying to challenge you head on would probably be a mistake for many CHAOS navis. After all, when you're known for pounding the God of Destruction in the Cyber World into pudding, you get noticed. Why did you think Blademan ran like the coward he is? They prefer to take the easy route when possible. So one of them tried to brute force his way in and it appears that he was unsuccessful."

"How do you know it was a he?" Dr. Hikari asked. He had been listening in on the conversation the whole time, trying to figure out just how could Crashman know all this information and not be a part of this so called organization. Also, he seemed to have a huge amount of inside knowledge that Dr. Hikari knew that wouldn't just be floating down a grapevine.

"Simple. There has only ever been one female navi in the whole organization as far as I know of. What was her name again? Hypomeria? Hippia? It's something with an H." Crashman said closing his eyes.

"Hypnia?" Roll asked, though for a second he thought he saw the pink navi's warm green eyes darken for a second.

"Oh yes, that was the name. Though word on the street is that she was deleted. I heard she was one angry ghost to run into on the Net. I'm just happy that it's gone through another resurface update. No more old deleted navis popping up from the grave, right?"

"Right..." Megaman said. If he had been suspicious of the navi before, he was now. It seemed as if he was trying to hint him in the direction of not trusting him. He had to give it to him though, trying to throw them off guard with a rude and flirtatious behavior almost worked.

"Well anyway, yeah. Everyone else has been a guy so far, at least that's what I've heard."

"And how do you know so much about them?" the doctor asked.

"Look doc, when you've been around as much as I have, you learn some things. You meet up with people that you never wanted to meet. And above all, you leave that you need to be willing to do anything to survive. Even when it comes to getting into scraps with those like that idiot Blademan." Crashman said

"Blademan?" Mayl asked.

"Yeah, blasted idiot chased me all the way from Central Area 3 to here. We had been fighting for hours. Let's say that I was snooping around in places that I really shouldn't have been. But what could I say, when I heard SciLab had been attacked I had every right to be curious."

"So, do you or do you not know who attacked SciLab?" Lan asked, like his brother and father, also highly annoyed with the navi's antics by now.

"I almost did. Blademan had been talking to someone before he realized I was eavesdropping. But I have no idea who it was. He was just getting to the good part before he saw my reflection in his blade. And you know the story from there," A moment paused before Crashman spoke again, "Well, I believe that's all I know. So if you excuse me, I've got places to be and people to meet. I'll be seeing you all later! Goodbye, Roll. Goodbye, Mayl." And then he ran through the portal that would guide him to SciLab Square.

"I knew I should have put up that firewall." Dr. Hikari grumbled, cursing his ignorance.

* * *

Update: Friday

Andrew: Void. EXE is the navi who creation was hinted at in the ending of Dark World.

As a completely unrelated side note, I've been in the mood to write another Game Ark story (I do a behind the dark scene type look at MMBN cut scenes), but I'm not sure which one to do. So, what would you guys like to see as the next one. Vote in the comments since this could have a lot of answers to it. See you guys on Friday!


	7. Chapter 6

**Day 3 Part 2 - Bomb Voyage**

As the day closed, Crashman watched Megaman and Roll as they finally returned back to their own PCs. Took them long enough. Finding the two had been a rough job since he had no idea if their operators would jack them into the Net or not. He knew that they resided in ACDC Area, but the problem was that there were three of the blasted things.

To his luck, they had actually been jacked in and he found them walking around on his fifth tour of Area 1. Once they were back to their homes, Crashman took his leave from the area. Oh yes, he was really was in for a good time. And no one would be prepared for the end game he had in store.

As he walked away from ACDC Net Area, he began to wonder where he would go. He couldn't go back. No, he wouldn't go back until his job was completed. He owed himself that much. After all the mistreatment he had faced by that human's hand. He had almost gagged earlier when he had complimented the red haired girl. Though he was pleased with his performance, he had managed to tick off the whole Hikari family in less than an hour. That took skill. Smiling, Crashman simply continued walking. He may not have a place to call home yet, but he knew that soon the whole Net would be called his home.

"Going so soon, buddy?" a familiar voice asked.

Crashman rolled his eyes as he turned around, "Listen, I know you want to kill me for the eavesdropping thing, but must you be so annoying about it? Don't you have any manners? You have to wait at least a week before confronting me again. Those are the rules. Don't like them, talk to someone who cares."

"Oh, but I do care about the rules. The orders of CHAOS, those are the only rules I follow."

"So, what does your rule book say?"

"Oh nothing special. Just delete everything that stands in our way. Blade Rush!" the navi fired and Crashman spun out of the way. The orange navi's hand changed into his drill and he prepared to attack. However, before he could, the navi started to jack out.

"If you wish to settle our dispute, come to School Area 1. I will be waiting for you there." Blademan said as he left the cyber space.

"Tch. Coward. Fine, I'll play your little game. But only because I know I'm going to win." Crashman smirked as he followed the fleeing navi.

* * *

When Crashman entered the School Network, he noticed that the principal either had a sick sense of humor or Blademan was seriously messing with him. Swords were everywhere and seemed to be hovering over panels. He figured that if he stepped on them, he would become a Crash Split with a drill on the side. He merely smirked and raised his drill.

"Crash Bomb!" he yelled as he fired his bomb at the blade. However, before the weapon could hit, it was intercepted by another blade. Crashman's eyes flicked around the room. Had Blademan set this up ahead of time? He sneered, those anti-bomb blades would make it difficult for him to get around. Carefully, he put a leg forward and immediately snapped it back. His first guess had been right. The blade crashed into the ground and rose back up to its position with deadly speed.

"Hmm… there's got to be something I can use here." Crashman mumbled. Blademan would probably be picking his nose and staring at his reflection in the back of this area. At least, he hoped there was only one area of this torture chamber.

"Hello." A voice from right next to him said.

"What the bug frag!" Crashman yelled as he flew backwards. Where had that Mr. Program come from? It was like they were ninjas or something.

"Are you trying to proceed forward?" the green program asked. Crashman couldn't help but be mystified. Why were they given air shoes? They didn't really need them...did they? What made them so special? Maybe he should organize a petition…or just take their program.

Hmm...no. He didn't really need to take it; just use it. He stuck his arm forward into the area where the sword had come down and the blade did not fall. Good, it was only pressure triggered. Crashman made a wicked smile.

"Yeah, I am. But I think I may have found it." Crashman quickly grabbed the program and took a couple steps back. If he was going to do this, he needed to do it with style. The navi ran forward, Mr. Program first.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING! WE'LL DIE! THERE IS AN EASIER WAY!" the Mr. Program yelled as loud as he could. He was too handsome and young to die! Why were custom navis so mean to them!

"HI, HO, PROGRAM! AWAY!" Crashman said as he pushed the navi forward and jumped on its back. The poor little program only flew past the trap and landed directly on its face. It wasn't meant to be piggybacked.

"Ow…why would you do that?" it asked.

"It was easier, more fun, and better than hearing you talk. Now come on, I see about five more traps we need to get through. Just know that you are being the most helpful you have ever been before in your life." Crashman said with a creepy smile.

"Oh no."

* * *

"CAWABUNGA!" Crashman yelled as his forced steed once again fell onto the floor. However, before taking the tumble with him, he jumped off the program's back and landed on his feet. The Mr. Program, completely spent, merely groaned behind him.

"Well…never seen that before." Blademan said as he finally stopped sharpening his blades.

"Had to get your attention somehow." Crashman said, pleased with himself, "Now, if we could proceed with this battle. After all, getting here, though fun, was incredibly time wasting."

"Yes, well I'm sorry. I thought you would have been deleted before getting here."

"Well, that's your fault isn't it. Crash Bomb!" Crashman said as he pulled out his drill and fired.

Blademan, not expecting the attack so suddenly, dived out of the way. Quickly, he got back up to his feet and grabbed his swords. He would not lose this time, "Is that the best you've got? Blade Rush!"

The navi jumped back, avoiding the hit, "Hmph. I could say the same to you. Is that the only attack you know? Pretty pathetic if you ask me. You shine those blades all day, but you do almost nothing with them. Sad life, wanna talk about it. Not with me of course, but with someone that cares."

"You…you little…!" Blademan growled. No one insulted him like that! The purple navi charged forward. Crashman merely smirked step sided and once again dodged the attack. Blademan roared in anger. He was the superior navi! Capable of both short and long ranged combat! How was this little pipsqueak doing this!

"PT Bomb!" Crashman yelled as he once again fired. This time, the drill broke apart and a little claw-like bomb appeared. It attached itself to the navi's arm and exploded. Blademan winced in pain, "Don't like that huh? Well, that one was one the house! This one you have to pay for! PT Bomb!" Crashman fired his drills again and again at the navi. Although Blademan tried to deflect every shot, Crashman was going crazy. For every shot deflected, he fired three more.

After the endless barrage, Blademan dropped his weapons. Not like he had much of a choice, both of his arms had been deleted in the scuffle. Despite his attempts to shield himself, he had left his best weapons right open.

"Wow, you know for being a member of CHAOS, I didn't expect you to be so pitiful. You sure you're not some wannabe organization. Maybe World Three? Ah well, it doesn't really matter anymore."

"You're right. You may defeat me but I will be avenged!" Blademan said.

"Funny…I think that's what they all say. Right before they realize what a lot of malarkey it is. Goodbye, Blademan. I'm sorry you never got the memo about whose really in charge...me! Crash Bomb!" the navi said as he fired. But, he targeted the navi's emblem. Blademan howled in pain as his data dissipated into the Net. Crashman smiled as he saw his enemy disappear.

"Don't you know how much pain you put that navi through? What kind of monster are you?" the Mr. Program asked. For many navis, especially custom ones, it was like an unwritten law to never go for the emblem on purpose. It was such a painful deletion; many never wanted to condemn the anyone to such a death.

"Easy answer: the worst kind. Crash Rush!" He said as he fired several drills at the green program, deleting it. Oh yes, this would definitely be a fun time.

* * *

Update: Monday

How'd you guys like seeing it from a completely different person's view point?

Oh, so I finally got off my lazy butt and decided to label _You Knew _and _You're Not Alone_ as part of the Double Network Series. They now have Megaman Double Network Beginnings in the front of them, but ultimately it's the same title.

Part 5 of my MMBN6 Let's Play is out! watch?v=IUFkESLpe7Y&feature=

Finally, Happy Belated New Year! Yeah, sorry that I didn't post anything Wednesday, but the schedule to this is kinda set in stone and I haven't made any one-shots recently (I've been doing a lot of work on DN3...). So...I didn't have anything. But this counts too right...maybe...

*Bass shakes head in the background*

...Fine, here's a preview to Monday's chapter.

_ (If you don't want to see the preview, don't go past this warning.)_

_When Mayl opened her eyes, she wasn't in her bed and most definitely not in her home. Her eyes darted around as she realized that just how familiar this place really was. She was in the Satellite Control Computer. The same place where she had jacked Roll into order to stop Lan and Megaman last summer from brainwashing everyone. But what was she doing here? As she looked down at herself, she gasped She was no longer were her sleepwear. Instead, she was in Roll's body!_

_Mayl felt fear and confusion overtake her senses as the scene finally took hold. She was in the Net for no apparent reason and now she was her own navi. None of this made any sense to her. However, as she tried to collect her thoughts, a sudden force hit her from out of now. In seconds, she landed on the ground. Her body ached in pain and wouldn't allow her to move. As she looked down, she realized that her navi emblem was damaged. Mayl screamed as she felt her body fading. Was this how navis felt when they were deleted? Was this how it felt to be ripped piece by piece until your core data was gone?_

_Just when she thought it couldn't get any worse, it did. She felt someone step on her stomach. She moved her eyes up and saw no one else but Megaman. He poised his buster at her, mostly directing his attention at her symbol. He was going to delete her, quickly and painfully._

"_No…" she whimpered. She didn't want to die, not like this._

"_Wake up." The navi said, though his voice was a lot deeper than Megaman's normal was. The voice sounded familiar, but yet made Mayl feel something burn in her stomach._

"_Huh?" she asked as she saw the buster glowing._

"_Wake up, Mayl." He said softly, though the boredom in his brown eyes told a different story, "Please, wake up."_

_And just before the buster reached full charge, she did._


	8. Chapter 7

**Day 4 Part 1 - The Truth**

_When Mayl opened her eyes, she wasn't in her bed and most definitely not in her home. Her eyes darted around as she realized that just how familiar this place really was. She was in the Satellite Control Computer. The same place where she had jacked Roll into order to stop Lan and Megaman last summer from brainwashing everyone. But what was she doing here? As she looked down at herself, she gasped She was no longer were her sleepwear. Instead, she was in Roll's body! _

_Mayl felt fear and confusion overtake her senses as the scene finally took hold. She was in the Net for no apparent reason and now she was her own navi. None of this made any sense to her. However, as she tried to collect her thoughts, a sudden force hit her from out of now. In seconds, she landed on the ground. Her body ached in pain and wouldn't allow her to move. As she looked down, she realized that her navi emblem was damaged. Mayl screamed as she felt her body fading. Was this how navis felt when they were deleted? Was this how it felt to be ripped piece by piece until your core data was gone?_

_Just when she thought it couldn't get any worse, it did. She felt someone step on her stomach. She moved her eyes up and saw no one else but Megaman. He poised his buster at her, mostly directing his attention at her symbol. He was going to delete her, quickly and painfully._

"_No…" she whimpered. She didn't want to die, not like this._

"_Wake up." The navi said, though his voice was a lot deeper than Megaman's normal was. The voice sounded familiar, but yet made Mayl feel something burn in her stomach. _

"_Huh?" she asked as she saw the buster glowing._

"_Wake up, Mayl." He said softly, though the boredom in his brown eyes told a different story, "Please, wake up."_

_And just before the buster reached full charge, she did._

* * *

Mayl didn't really appreciate the shaking; even if it was a nightmare. No one likes being shaken awake, especially when it was as violent as he was making it. Despite only getting glimpse at the person, she already knew who it was, 'S-s-tt-o-p-p! La-an!"

"Mayl! You're awake!" he said, finally stopping. He watched her with concerned eyes.

"Yeah, and I think you've rattled my brain enough for the evening. What time is it?" Mayl said as she grabbed her head. She felt like an abused bobble head.

"Actually it's not the evening; it's one in the morning. You fell asleep during the movie."

"I did? Oh, I'm sorry."

"Never mind about that. Are you okay? You were screaming just now. You're lucky Roll isn't awake right know, otherwise she'd be worried sick about you."

"It was just a nightmare."

"Yeah, and Megaman is a blue elephant. Mayl, what is it that you're hiding from us? We all love you. Why don't you trust us?"

"It's not that Lan. It's just that…I'm scared." She said allowing her head to rest of his chest. She felt him pull her closer to him.

"And what are you scared of?"

She took a deep breath. She could literally feel everything inside her yelling tell him. But why should she bother him with her own trivial matters. It wasn't his to take on. Mayl looked up at his eyes. She literally felt herself melt; they were so full of emotion: concern, fear, love. She looked back down again. Again, her mind told her to just tell him. She needed to tell someone before she exploded. Mayl took one more breath before saying the words into his shirt.

"What?" he asked.

"I said 'my father.'"

"Your dad? What about him?" Lan asked. In truth, he hadn't seen Mr. Sakurai in years. Actually, as he thought about it, he hadn't seen Mayl's father since she was in high school! He had actually almost forgotten that Mayl had even had a father. The man had never been overly present in the household during their childhood years, but Mayl had always told him it was because he was always working hard. But know as he looked at her, he began to wonder just how much of that was true.

"After all these years, he actually had the nerve to email me asking if I could come to see him in Netopia during Spring Break."

"Isn't that a good thing? Maybe he's trying to make amends for all the time wasted."

"That's what I'm scared of. I'm not scared of facing him, I'm scared of what I'll do when I see him. I…" Mayl trailed off. How could she put into words how much she hated that man? That's right. She hated Kazer Sakuri. Once she had gone on to fifth grade, she had learned already learned how to cook. She had to because the man was barely in the house. She had no idea how she got through beforehand, but maybe that had to do with her frequent visits to the Hikari residence. Often times, she just stayed over after school and ate with them. She always had half off a mind to call child services, but never got the nerve to actually do it. Was it all for the sanity of trying to stay exactly where she was in that house across the street from Lan? She had never pinned down her reasoning.

So, she merely covered for him. She had been her own parent growing up and to be honest, she hated every minute of it. The only gift that blasted person had ever given her was Roll. Whenever he did come over, it was always for merely a day or too. Then in high school, he stopped coming by completely. And Mayl had never been happier.

She had gotten tired of having a one-day only parent ever since she was small. The whole idea was ridiculous ever since the start of it. She had never tried to call him out on it, but she had a feeling that perhaps he wasn't even interested in her. And now, after so many years, she wasn't certain if she could ever see him without punching him. However, her train of thought was broken by Lan who merely put a hand on her cheek. He had wanted her to go on. She smiled as she looked at him, yet another good thing in her childhood.

"I'm angry. I hate him. He's was never a father. He always shrugged me off like I was some kind of fly in his face. He's missed so much of my life, and now he has the damn audacity to ask me to come and see him as if I can forget that he missed out on my life. I'm scared because I know if I go, there's a chance that I'll probably get arrested for assault. I'm scared because I don't want to see myself as just another angry kid."

"That's why you've been so distant recently."

"I've been debating for the past three weeks whether I should go see him. Whether I want to see him. I…just don't know what to do. I know he told me he wanted to know by February but I'm just not sure."

"Mayl, I'm…"

"Don't you dare say sorry, Lan. You have nothing to be sorry about. I've been quiet about my father ever since he disappeared from my life. But you've actually been my one light out of it. You, Dex, Yai, Megaman, Roll, Glyde, and Gutsman. You all have been the best friends I could ever ask for. And you've been the best boyfriend I could have ever wanted.

"You're always there for me, even when we were little. I guess you were the one who always reminded me to be happy even when my father annoyed me. Maybe that's why I've had a crush on you ever since elementary school. So, there's only one thing you should be saying Lan and that is 'you're welcome'." Mayl soon closed the gap between them. She hadn't realized that she had been getting closer and closer to the boy's face as she had been talking until the moment she kissed him.

Minutes later, they broke apart. Mayl simply snuggled into Lan and closed her eyes. Was it strange that she felt more love from her boyfriend than her own father? But then again, did it matter? Mayl just smiled to herself as she thought of this and let herself fall asleep in his arms.

* * *

When Mayl woke up the next morning, she realized that they had spent the whole night on the couch. Luckily, Lan was a very comfy pillow to sleep on, but now there was the small problem on him holding her. She couldn't break his grasp. She really did want to move, but he didn't have the loosest grip to get out of. After thinking for a minute, she decided to go for a classic wake up, the only sure fire way to get him up.

"Lan! Wake up or I'm going to eat your breakfast!" she yelled.

"Wha…No!" he said, instantly getting up while managing to not send her tumbling onto the ground. Though she did fall to the floor, but on her own accord of course. The sight of Lan waking up to the mere mention of food was still pretty comical to her.

"So, I'm guessing no breakfast?" he asked, noticing that Mayl laughing.

"Nope…unless you want to make it?" she asked hopefully, as she finally calmed down. She really wasn't interested in cooking anything right about now. All those mornings of cereal had spoiled her. She didn't really have much in terms of money, after all there was only so much virus busting she could do to get zenny data before both navi and NetOp merely went to sleep out of boredom. So, she had learned to live off a relatively affordable amount and not to waste electricity. It did help that at least the man had paid for the mortgage before he completely disappeared out of her life.

"Mayl, I've been living off of cafeteria food, my mom's cooking, and ramen for the past five months. Do you really want to me to cook?" Lan countered.

"Probably not." May shuddered. An unfortunate image of Lan somehow burning down her house popped into her head. She sighed, "Well, there goes that idea. Hey, why don't we just go out to Town District? There's probably a restaurant or something out there."

"Okay, just as long as we don't have to go to the mall. I'm kinda staying away from that place for now." Lan said.

"Why? What's so bad about the mall? The food court isn't that bad."

"I'll tell you later. It's a weird story."

* * *

Update: Wednesday

Um...do you guys want me to keep on putting previews to chps? Just a thought.


	9. Chapter 8

INTERRUPTING GHOST!

Sorry about the crazy update time on Monday...Fanfiction went berserk again and it was difficult for anyone to update. Anywho, we're back to normal now! So, this is part 2 today, just click back to read part 1 if you haven't already. Now, back to your previously scheduled presentation...

* * *

**Day 4 Part 2 - Presents?**

After coming back from Town District, the two NetOps were merely walking casually back to Mayl's house. They had tried to stop by at Saria's house, but the girl had told them She and her father had actual moved to Cyber City during the fall when they called her.

The walk had been pretty peaceful…until Lan got an idea. The weather was reflecting the Christmas spirit and it had actually snowed earlier that morning, leaving a fresh coat of white frozen water on the ground. To Mayl's surprise and disgust, Lan had molded a snowball in his hands and chucked it at her, knocking off her red hat and exposing her head to the cold and to the wet frozen water. It took her a few moments before she realized that she was being attacked.

Running, she grabbed her hat from off the ground and starting building up her own arsenal of snowballs. And within minutes, they were nine again. Jumping up and down outside in the snow. Starting snowball fights and never finishing them. After perhaps twenty minutes, both girl and boy collapsed next to each other on the ground, both completely exhausted. On a whim, Mayl started moving her arms and legs. She had missed making snow angels. Though she eventually stopped when she heard Lan get up. He offered her his hand and she gratefully took it.

As he lifted her off the ground and into an embrace, he finally broke the silence, "If I didn't know any better, I'd saw you were a little kid again."

She laughed, "Says the guy who started the snowball fight. I don't know how you'll make it as a scientist. You're so immature."

"Only around you, I am," he said before pausing. He stared at Mayl for a few moments, causing her to thing she had something on her face. However, he finally ending her confusion and spoke, "Mayl, I think you should go see him."

"Who?"

"You're father." Mayl sighed. She really didn't want to talk about this, "I know this isn't your preferred topic of conversation, but you have to tell him what's on your mind. Otherwise you'll just remain as angry as you are now.

"You may not notice it, but I do. Even just talking about this, your body is becoming tense. I know you're not scared about facing him, but I think that you need to go to him. I can listen to you all I want to, but it won't help you. You'll probably scream and cry, but you won't get the same relief as if you physically tell your father how you feel. I don't care if you tell him off. I don't care if you slap him. No one who leaves their kid like he left you without an _extremely_ good reason doesn't deserve any kindness from him or her. But you have to get this off your chest to the right person."

Mayl took a breath before speaking, "When'd you change Lan? The last time I checked, you were my dense boyfriend. Now, you're actually making sense of things."

Lan chuckled, "What can I say. Time changes people. Now come on, let's get you back home. I bet you're freezing out here because I know I am."

* * *

"To think he has the nerve to reach out to her now." Roll muttered as she and Megaman walked through ACDC Area 1. The network had been modified for the month and Christmas trees and other assorted decorations had been added to make it more festive. Normally, Roll would have been happy while walking through ACDC, but Mayl had just told her what had been bugging her for the past three weeks. It had taken Mega at least five minutes to calm her down.

"I'll admit, the timing is strange." He said, but then he realized his mistake.

"Strange? He abandoned her. Every time she ever tried to talk to him, it was always 'Sorry, Mayl. I need to work' or whatever other lame excuse he could come up with. Plus, it hasn't just been a few months since Mayl's last seen him. It's been at least five years, Hub. What kind of father does that!"

"Um Roll, I know you upset. But you're kinda attracting everyone's attention."

Roll blushed as she looked around. Sure enough, she was getting some concerned looks from some of the local navis around the area, "I'm sorry. It's just she was just so sad as kid. Even time when _he_ was over, she'd get this look in her eyes. At first she was so sad and confused. She would sometimes come back to her room on the verge of tears all because her father never gave her the time of day because he was so busy with some job. Once she got a little older, the sadness was replaced with disappointment. She had gotten to the point where she expected nothing of him. I think that's why she started taking piano. Dr. Itumi asked for nothing to teach her and I think it was the only way she could get out those emotions. I hated seeing her like that. I hated him for making her so upset. But I guess that's why she hung around Lan so much. He always made her happy."

Mega walked up to the pink navi and hugged her, "She's lucky to have someone like you in her life."

"Thanks, Mega."

Unfortunately, their peace didn't last. After a few minutes, several navis came running from the right, away from ACDC Square.

"Run away! She's crazy!" a normal navi said as he and several others ran for dear life. Roll and Megaman looked at each other and the blue navi was about to say something, but Roll cut him off.

"No, Mega. I'm coming with you." She said determinedly.

Megaman sighed. She was a stubborn navi, but she was his stubborn navi. Nodding, both of them headed towards ACDC Square.

* * *

"Where are the presents? I want presents!" a blue navi yelled. Her hair went down to the middle of her back. Her grey eyes seemed almost see through as she looked around the vendors. Her emblem was a single jewel in the center of a green backdrop. All she wanted was some Christmas presents, but no one in the cyber world sold them. They were all offering specials on battle chips. Hmph, like she cared.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a heel navi trying to escape. Ever since Nebula was disbanded, some of them had decided to turn from lives of crime and become honest store owners. She walked over to the navi and picked him up by her throat, "My dear friend, do you have any presents?"

"I've got battle chips. You can have some for free!" he chocked. She had already deleted most of the other merchants in the area; he knew she wouldn't have a second thought in killing him.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Not what I was looking for. Crystal Blade!" she said as her arm changed into a blade that looked to be made of glass. The merchant closed his eyes. Great, he would die even without doing anything bad at the time. However, his luck was not out yet.

"Roll Arrow!" To the navi's surprise, her blade shattered into pieces. Although they shinned nicely on the floor, she was still upset that her wonderful weapon destroyed. She turned around to see a male blue navi and a female pink one. The girl's hand was a bow.

"Now why did you do that?" the girl dropped the merchant and he quickly made a run for it.

"You were going to delete him!" the pink one said, looking flabbergasted. Her eyes were covered by a blue visor.

"Cause he didn't sell any presents. What kind of merchant doesn't sell Christmas presents at Christmas time!" She responded.

"Um…are you okay? There are plenty of presents. Everyone here sells battle chips," the blue one said.

"Those aren't Christmas presents. Christmas presents are shinny and make you feel good on the inside!" Why didn't anyone understand her? Well, navis anyway. The humans got her point just fine!

Crystal saw the pink one talking to her friend. She could barely read lips but she could have sworn that the girl had said something along the lines of "I think she's crazy". Crystal readied another blade.

"Shut up! I'm not crazy! I'm just tired of all of us giving each other the same thing. Where's the variety? We're the specialness of the occasion! We don't have to look far for our gifts, but instead we merely just run to our local square and pick up a few chips. I'm tired of that! And if you're just going to sit there and make fun of me, then I'm going to do what I have to do to accomplish my dreams! We navis will have a proper Christmas!"

Roll and Megaman dodged out of the way as the blue navi ran at them. As Roll began to try a make a plan, she realized one major issue. Mayl and Lan weren't here. Before they left for breakfast, the two navis told the two to leave the PETs at home. They never expected a fight on their hands before they got back. Which meant that she and Mega only had their default weapons.

Roll sighed and charged another arrow; they were just going to have to make due for now. At least since her arrows were break element, she would be able to break the swords…if the blue navi would be so polite to hold it that long in the air again. Even with the HUD screen on her visor, she couldn't really target a moving sword easily.

The girl gave her an evil eye before calling forth another attack, "Crystal Storm!" Shards of glass and jewelry attacked Roll and she flew backward.

"Stay away from her!" Megaman yelled as he fired his Megabuster; he was glad that his father had already installed the Net Customizer into his PET, allowing him to actually make his default a powerful weapon. Roll got up slowly. That attack hadn't been the easiest to take, but she needed to help out. She fired a set of Roll Arrows, but the navi just created shields to take the hits for her.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you'll have to try hard than that." The girl laughed and turned her attention back to Megaman, "So, blue boy. You want me to leave the girl alone? Well…alright. I'll leave her alone, after I delete her!"

Megaman's eyes widened in fear as he saw the girl raise her hand again, once again targeting Roll, "Crystal…"

"PT Bomb!" the girl looked down and noticed that something had attached itself to her hand. A little claw had attached itself to her. Then it exploded, "Ahh! What the heck! Who did that?" She screamed as her hand disintegrated into data.

"Santa's favorite little navi elf, me." Crashman said as he walked into the scene, "Nice to see you again, Roll. Hope you won't mind me barging in on this little spat."

"What are you doing here?" Megaman asked gruffly, once again noticing that the navi was only greeting his girlfriend.

"I was in the neighborhood and I noticed that this lunatic was still running around. I have to say, I didn't think those rumors were true. I had heard about the first navi ever created by CHAOS being a failure since it was missing a few lines of code in its thinking process." The red navi said insultingly.

"You? What are you doing here you snoop! I thought Blademan had gotten you!" Crystal asked.

"What can I say, I'm an escape artist. And as for the sneaking around, well I like to crash parties. Hence the name. Crash Bomb!" the navi said as he fired one of his drills at the girl. The bomb exploded when it hit the girl navi and she tumbled back, "Now, unless you want me to delete you. I suggest you leave!"

"You won't delete me. You can't! I won't let you! Crystal Sword!" the navi ran at him. She would delete him, then Roll, then Megaman. And once they were gone, she would finally be able to have her Christmas.

"Actually, I think I can! Crash Bomb!" the bomb drilled her in her emblem. She was deleted before she even got to him, "Now, stay down, idiot," He said. He turned around to the two navis behind him, winked at Roll, and jacked out.

"What just happened?" Roll asked as she walked toward Megaman.

"I have no idea…but I think Crashman didn't tell us something when he talked to us and something tells me he's much more dangerous than we thought."

* * *

Update: Friday (Sorry, Day 5 only has one part!)


	10. Chapter 9

**Day ****5 - Suspicions**

As Lan slept, Megaman still thought about the events that had happened the day before. It seemed like such a whirlwind; he was having a tough time trying to comprehend it all. First, a random navi had attacked all of the vendors simply because she didn't like how navis handled Christmas. Then just in the nic of time, Crashman had showed up in order to save them from the crazed maniac. Megaman didn't like it. This whole scenario spelled HUGE TRAP RUN AWAY.

Who was Crashman? What was his connection to this CHAOS? And most importantly, was CHAOS even real? Megaman was sure that if another organization was forming, the officials would have already have been mobilized. Protoman and Chaud would have already tried to contact them. And most importantly, the trouble would have already found them. Though trouble had already found them, just in a more chaotic form.

Megaman looked at his sleeping brother through his window and took a breath. It was times like these when he wondered what life would be like if he never had HBD. Would Lan be in danger all the time? Would the world have fallen into the hands of the World Three? Or Gospel? Nebula? Megaman closed his eyes. As Hub, he never remembered a time when he wasn't in pain. For infants, HBD was a particularly excruciating disease. The disease would cause severe chest pain and would sometimes make the victim stop breathing. Megaman could only describe it as having a heart attack and a panic attack at the same time. He had to applaud Mamarou for taking the disease and surgery so well. He hadn't been so lucky, but he was happy that someone had survived the disease.

When he opened his eyes, Megaman fell to the ground. He could feel his breath shorten. This always happened to him when he thought about his early days as a human. Almost involuntarily, his body imagined itself as his human self again. It was like the ghost pains of amputee victims. For that one brief moment, he would feel like he was human again. He could feel his heart contract, quickly and painfully. In the most severe cases, he would seize up and be unable to move for several minutes. Hub hadn't told anyone about this side effect. Not Mayl. Not Lan. Not Dad. Not Roll. He was afraid that the doctor would think something was wrong for him and make him undergo so many tests, and he hated tests. He knew his thinking was irrational, but irrational thought was all pieces which made him human, even as a navi.

Hub had never asked to be a navi. Despite being grateful for the opportunity to live again, his new life had come at a cost. One was the idea of longevity. Hub, until he was deleted, would never die, while his family could so easily be gone the next day. After being with him for so long, Hub could never see a completely happy life without his brother. It would pain him until no end to think about the day when Lan would eventually die, and he would remain…forever. The other cost was his power. He was a target for the hit list of every single crime organization out on the Net. He had one of those names which were either praised or cursed.

He never asked to be a powerful being. He merely accepted the roles when the situation became dire enough and advancing himself was the only option. They had no option when Gospel had declared war on the whole world; integrating Change. BAT into his systems was the only way to ensure that his friends and family would have a safe place to live. The Double Soul ability just sort of happened. He had figured it was his human soul which had allowed him to activate the Double Soul and commune with his friends and rivals. But yet, he never truly wanted that. The Cross System came in handy whenever Lan needed some extra help on the Net and Megaman wasn't available on the rarest of rare occasions. But once again, it was something he had adapted to.

However, even with this much power and all the titles in the world, he was scared. He had all these abilities, but what if he couldn't protect those who he loved. What if he couldn't stop someone from destroying his family right before his eyes? No, he couldn't let that happen. If anyone would die, it would be from natural causes. Not because he couldn't save them. He would rather delete himself before allowing such a fate to occur.

Megaman shook his head; all these heavy thoughts were messing with him and making it really hard to think. He needed to take a walk. As he looked at the computer's clock he sighed, two in the morning. Roll would be dead asleep and would take at least fifteen minutes to wake up; plus, she wasn't too much of a happy camper when she was woken up too early. He just hoped that he wouldn't run into the navi ghost of Crystal. He really didn't need a visit from the pyscho this early in the morning.

* * *

Megaman learned one thing as he walked around ACDC Area, no one with a reasonable mind was up at two in the morning. Of course the Mr. Programs were still running around, but Megaman had never considered them normal. As Megaman walked around ACDC Area 1, he resisted the urge to let his mind stay contained. He wanted to let go for a little while and stop thinking about all this madness before he finally went insane. However, as he traveled the area his train of thought, or lack of rather, was interrupted when he ran into someone who he wasn't expecting to see.

"Protoman? What are you doing here?" Megaman asked.

"Megaman? I though you civilian navis went to sleep at this hour." The red navi said surprised.

"Couldn't sleep; had a lot to think about. You?"

"I'm following up on a lead for Chaud. Something seems to have come up with this Crashman character who was found at SciLab's gate what was it six days ago? You wouldn't happen to know him would you?"

"Yeah, I actually ran into him earlier yesterday. What about him? And why did you assume I knew him?"

"Simple Megaman, cause trouble always manages to find you."

"I guess that's fair. So, why are you looking into Crashman?"

"Well, parts of his story that he told you guys about checks out. We're not sure about an organization per say, but there is something stirring in the air. Yesterday, the officials were told look out for suspicious activity. We're not on an alert yet;but as you can see, things are beginning to get tense.

"With Lan and you being controlled last summer and SciLab being attacked this winter, you can see why we're beginning to get edgy. Someone is causing trouble, but we're having a hard time trying to pinpoint who or what it is. We had to crack open a few files in SciLab, even about you and Roll. I must admit, your girlfriend is a lot more special than I gave her credit for. No wonder she got ticked off when I insulted her."

"Well, she's Roll. Why wouldn't she be special? Wait, you insulted her?"

"It was nothing." Protoman said, waving a hand. He really did not want to get Megaman angry. The mock angry glare Roll occasionally gave him as a joke was bad enough, "Anyway, as far as we can tell, she's not a target. At least currently. Remember what happened during the summer?"

"I've been trying to forget."

"Yes well, with Roll's new found powers, she may be in danger. But I think most of the trouble will be heading more your way than hers. Also, Lan's description of The Voice matches Saria's as expected. But it seemed much softer with Lan. Almost as if he was an important dignitary."

"Soft? Not the word I would have gone with. Maybe creepy or manipulative, but soft? What makes you think that?"

"Perhaps you're right about the word, maybe dependent. Anyway, the Voice was actually trying to keep Lan. It didn't want to let him go. Saria said that the Voice only took the voice of her father. It never bothered using Tox's voice. However, Lan had told of at least three: Mayl, his mother, you, and a few others. It was trying to keep him in the dark.

"I hate to tell you this, but I think Crashman is right to a degree. Someone is after you guys again. What they want, I don't really know. Your code is pretty complicated to replicate without messing up some part of it. After all, if it was easy, I'm sure that Dr. Hikari would have been able to recreate your data without that data disk from your grandfather. Plus, the idea of an army is a lot more complex than Crashman made it seem."

"So, he's mixing lies with truths."

"Yeah, I'm not sure just what his game is, but I would advise not trusting him."

"I wasn't planning on it. Did you hear what happened yesterday evening here?"

"No, what was it?"

"Some crazy navi went haywire. Wanted to get actual Christmas gifts instead of battle chips. But that wasn't the problem. Me and Roll tried to calm her down, but all we had were our default weapons. She had actually managed to get in a few shots on me, but was directing most of her attention on Roll. For a second there, I actually thought she wouldn't stop attacking her until she was deleted.

"But then out of nowhere, Crashman shows up and deletes her without one thought. Then he just jacks out without an explanation. To be honest, I've been spending the past few hours trying to figure out just what his story was."

"Hm. The timing off all this is too coincidental. First the SciLab break in, then Crashman's appearance at SciLab. Something is not right with this picture. I don't think he has the power to do what that navi did a few nights. But still, I guess I should report this to Chaud. He might have some idea. Do me a favor Megaman, watch out for Crashman. Something tells me that he's the type of navi that needs to be kept on a _very_ tight leash." The red navi said before turning around.

"I will. Thanks Protoman. Oh, that reminds me. What were you even doing here?"

"BBS Boards. I've been checking all of them trying to find some kind of clue about this whole dilemma."

"They're actually that useful?"

"Most times no, but there is that small ray of light sometimes. Have a good morning, Megaman."

"You too, Protoman."

* * *

"Oh my…" Mayl said, wide eyed. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. There really was a first for everything.

"Oh my revenge will be sweet. How late is he?" Lan asked with a massive grin.

"Twenty minutes and counting." Roll said disbelievingly. Never once before had she known Hub to be late for…well, anything.

Today, Lan and Mayl had decided to head to Electown to see if they could find some decent presents. Roll and Megaman were merely going to tag along; although, they had already gotten their gifts. However, they were supposed to leave at 10. It was 10:20. Surprisingly, it wasn't Lan who had kept them waiting. It had been Megaman! He had overslept! The blue navi laid sprawled on the floor in a deep sleep.

"Oh, man. I didn't prepare for this day! I don't know what to do!" Lan groaned as he racked his head for some kind of thought. What would wake up his brother in an instant that would be amazingly funny? Hub didn't have too many weaknesses, but finally a thought struck him.

"Should we really wake him up? He looks really tired." Roll said, but was too late. Lan's eyes already had that mischievous look in them.

"Hey Megaman! I'm going to delete all your letter song lyrics in about two seconds!" Lan yelled.

Mayl and Roll cocked an eyebrow. Letter songs?

"No! Don't! Those took me a year to make!" Megaman said, bolting up from the ground. As weird as it was for humans, most navis didn't have a bed to sleep in so they either slept on the ground of their PETs or went into sleep mode where their data would be compacted and stored in the PET—this made them easier to modify. Megaman just happened to find the floor much more comfortable. However, as he blinked, Megaman realized just who was here. Hub quickly pulled up a menu as he heard Lan's laughter roaring. 10:22. He had completely forgotten that they were going to Electown today. He hadn't gone to sleep until about four and a half hours ago.

"Sorry guys, rough night." Megaman said sheepishly. Lan was never going to let him live this down.

"No problem, Megaman." Mayl said, although she would have to ask Lan about these songs that Megaman had made, "Now come on, we've wasted enough time here. We need to head to Electown before the lines become really long." She said as she grabbed Lan's hand and pulled him out. Lan jacked Megaman out of the PC and back into his PET.

* * *

Void tapped his foot impatiently. His NetOp was taking her sweet old time preparing this and this plan was even slower than any other put forth.

"I don't know why you won't let me attack SciLab once again. I can get the data we require." He commentated.

"Because my friend, you would burn out before you made it to the final firewall. Just give me a couple more days. I still need some data in order to finish my little project. But due to that little modification I did to your data, you'll be able to use a very limited amount of your power."

"And once it is done, will I be ready?"

"Almost Void. When I'm done with you, you will be able to rule the whole world with nothing than your index finger. People believe that blue bomber is a powerful being. He is nothing compared to what you will be. But I do have a couple errands I need you to do for me. One, our plan to get her out the picture is moving quite slowly. I'm still uncertain about her abilities, but I'd rather not test fate just yet. Find our little friend and give him a little push in the right direct. After that, I need you to go into the Undernet. Find him and battle him. Only then can I gauge how much work I need to do to you. He will be good practice for you."

"Yes, Ms. Dawn." The navi said as he jacked out into the Net.

Dawn smiled. Her brown hair covered a side of her face. The visible eye was a wild green color, though one could say that she looked mad. She tapped a few keys on her keyboard and a picture of Crystal. EXE appeared. A failure model. She was successful for only a few minutes before her logic processes unraveled. Now, she was just used as entertainment. When she had broken out and run away onto the Net, Dawn had never bothered trying to get her. However, she did keep tabs on every navi she created.

Dawn gaped as she noticed that her signal was no longer being emitted on the Net. That could only mean one thing, she was deleted. But by whom? If it was Megaman or Roll, someone would have informed her by know. So just who did the deed? Dawn shook her head. She would have to investigate later; she had more pressing matters to deal with.

Dawn typed in some more key strokes and a picture of Roll. EXE and Megaman. EXE came up. Disturbingly for her, there were several pieces of Megaman's data that made absolutely no sense to her. She would have to get a complete scan of him again! Just what made these two navis tick? Most importantly, what made these two navis become drawn to each other? She folded back in her chair. She would just have to be patient. Once SciLab's secrets were uncovered, she would have all the answers she needed.

* * *

Update: Monday

Andrew: Crashman is a crazy character. He's flirting simply because he thinks he can distract Megaman with it.


	11. Chapter 10

**Day 6 Part 1 - Crack Under Pressure**

"Hey Mayl, where you planning on going somewhere in a few days?" Roll asked.

"Um, no. Why do you ask?" Mayl cocked an eyebrow. She hadn't even made up her decision on whether or not she wanted to see that…man yet. For what reason would she leave ACDC for? Especially with Christmas being so close by. Attempting to leave anywhere now would definitely be an inconvenience she did not want to deal with.

"Because I just got an email from the airlines. They say you have a confirmed flight for…Netopia? The flight leaves in two days! This doesn't make any sense; it's got to be a mistake or something. But…they have all your information, even down to your birthday! Wait, I never seen this credit card number before. You don't even have a charge card! Just what is going on here?"

"I think I can answer that." A voice said.

Roll activated her bow. She was certain that no one under that voice knew the password to their security cube. She held her ground even as she realized the voice had belonged to a normal grade navi. The navi was silver in color, as most normal navis were nowadays. Roll never understood why their creators didn't just stick with green and brown. These new colors sometimes made them hard to look at, especially since they were so shiny. Still though, she wasn't taking any chances. Even normal grade navis could do damage when underestimated.

"How did you get in here?" she asked, keeping her bow trained on him.

"Easy, Roll. I don't mean any harm. I'm just here to bring a message from my operator."

Of course, the strange navi knowing her name did not make her any more likely to lower her weapon, "How do you know my name?"

The normal navi seemed to ignore her question and looked at the window behind her. "My my, you've grown up my dear. What a beautiful young woman, you've become. I haven't seen you in what four, five years? When was the last time your father came by?" He said at Mayl.

If Roll wasn't already on edge, she would have called her been now. Just what they needed… a messenger. Unlike Roll, Mayl was a little less jumpy, which allowed her to make a needed observation. Despite not seeing him in years, she knew who this navi belonged too. Plus, the timing of it all was too coincidental for him not to be who she thought she was, "You're my father's navi?" Mayl asked.

"Yes, upgraded a couple of times. But I'm still the same. Well, it seems I've answered your questions, Roll. After all, the Sakuri code is still a sure fire way to let me in. After all, that security cube was originally your father's."

Roll made a mental note to ask Mega or Lan to change that as she switched her weapon back into her hand, "Alright, smart guy. New question. What are you doing here?" She growled.

"Roll! I never knew you could be so rude!" he said taken aback. The last time he had seen the navi, she was the sweetest little one. Never uttered a terrible word about anyone. Though she had never seemed to be particularly fond of his operator.

"What can I say? I picked up a few things after you guys ditched us." She said pointedly.

"Ditch is such a strong word." The tension in the room rose.

"Really," Roll walked menacingly towards the silver navi, "What word would you have me use then? Leave? Discard? Abandon? I personally like that last one."

"Roll," Mayl said. She knew the navi was just trying to protect her; but even though she herself felt her blood roaring in her ears, she wanted to at least her the navi out. After all, it wasn't the navi's fault her father was a jerk.

The pink navi sighed and dropped back. The normal navi was grateful. A lot had changed since he left. He had never remembered a time where Roll could make him shake in fear with just a look. She could probably win tournaments with that thing. He cleared his throat and decided now would be a good time to speak.

"Your father wants to see you a little earlier than scheduled. Obviously as you can see, he's already paid for your ticket. I'm sorry that I didn't inform you sooner, but he just told me himself today. I'm afraid I don't know his reasoning." He said quietly, trying to keep his distance from the volatile navi.

"He wants me to come in two days?"

"If it makes you feel any better, he booked a return ticket two days after you come in. He didn't expect you to stay long."

"And let me guess. He got her a hotel too?" Roll asked sarcastically.

"He actually did."

Roll huffed, "Even after five years that human doesn't get it."

"Well whatever you're decision, I'll support you on it. Kazer hasn't been the best father, or even much of one. I wouldn't blame you if you didn't show. But I'm hoping you will. Even if it's just to see you scream at the old man." The navi turned back and headed for the portal, "Anyway, goodbye Mayl. Goodbye Roll. I hope we can meet again under better circumstances."

As he left, Roll and Mayl were left in utter silence. Roll finally decided to break it, "Well that was unexpected."

"Yeah, so what are you going to do?"

"Honestly, I have no idea."

* * *

As the navi walked back, he felt as if he was being watched. The feeling had started ever since he had come back from Mayl's PC. He turned around to see nobody there. The pathway was just as clear as it was two minutes before when he had checked earlier.

When he turned around, he fell backward violently. Someone had pushed him. As he turned around, he noticed that the force who pushed him down was a gray cloaked navi, his boss.

"Did you get the job done? Are they going to leave?" the navi asked violently, placing a foot on top of him. He wouldn't be able to get up now.

"I don't know. I merely put the thought in her head."

"Ugh! You useless pile of code!" the navi roared, increasing the pressure, "I sent her the email. You accessed your operator's bank accounts and used it to buy her ticket and room. I sent you to convince her to go! How hard is it to convince an eighteen year old girl to visit her father? Perhaps if he was dying she would go."

"You don't Mayl or Roll very well, do you? Merely convincing them to even think about going is like fighting a Cybeast. If my NetOp was dying, you will have my word that they won't show. Roll may even send a thank you card."

"Well what do I have to do? In case you haven't noticed, the only one who has a copybot in this town is Hikari! It's not like I can materialize in the real world and put her on a plane out of here myself!" He said, getting off the navi and pulling him up to his feet. The silver navi caught a small glimpse of his face, specifically his eyes. They were pure white, no irises.

The silver navi swallowed before talking, "Why do you even care? Why do you even want to torture the poor girl? Her father may not have forgotten her, but he's been trying for the past five years. Also, the girl seems to be doing much better since he left her life."

"I care because I need her navi out of the picture temporarily. Wherever Mayl goes, so does Roll. And you," the navi was chucked him towards the ground again, "will continue doing what I ask. Unless you want me to delete you line by line. Got it?"

The normal navi gulped, "Yes, sir."

"Good, now hurry home. Your dear NetOp must be looking for you by now. We can't have him start to question your loyalty now can we? Besides, I have important matters to attend to. Don't make me return."

The normal navi picked himself up and started making a break for it. Why oh why did he managed to find the most unruly of net navis? Then again, he was "doing" business with a navi who had attempted to break into his NetOp's bank accounts in the first place. Oh, just what had he gotten himself into?

* * *

Mayl sat at the bench in ACDC Park for what felt like forever. She wasn't sure why, but this was just her favorite place to think. It was quiet and always seemed to take her away from her problems. Well, except today. The return of her father's navi was quite a shock for her. What was even more shocking was that her father wanted to see her…and badly. Why else would he pay for her to leave in two days in the middle of the Christmas season.

Mayl put her head in her hands and sighed. This situation was getting much more complicated than it should be. As Mayl brought her head from outside her hands, she noticed her breath. Outside was still rather cold and the snow had only melted a bit due to the sun. For a moment, she lost herself in the beauty of the snow. She didn't even notice when someone sat next to her until he pulled her towards him. Mayl screamed, unsure of who exactly her assailant was. That was until he started laughing.

"Geez, I was only asking for a hug." Lan said sarcastically.

"Lan! Don't you know better than to sneak up on women! That's been the second time in the past week!" she said annoyed.

"Sorry, would it helped if I wore a bell around my neck?"

"Are you offering? I'm sure we can find you one for a pretty good price." The two laughed on the bench, completely oblivious to the fact that it was the middle of winter and 40 degrees outside.

"So, what are you doing out here? Don't tell me that there was no space for you to think inside your warm house." Lan said jokingly.

"Actually, there wasn't. It's…well, it's a mess." She sighed.

"Well, we have our off days."

"It's a little more than off. My…my dad wants me to come earlier than expected."

"How early?"

"In two days."

"Wow! Does he not know what time it is? Tickets are going to be expensive."

"He's paying for it. And a hotel."

"Why would he pay for a hotel? I doubt he lives in it. He must have some room where he lives at to house you."

"It's actually what I would have expected anyway. He doesn't live with me here. Why would he let me live with him there?"

"Because he's you're father."

"Kazer is only my father because I have half of his DNA. If it wasn't for that small fact, he wouldn't be in any way related to me and could brush me under the rug properly."

"Mayl…"

"You know. I used to wish that I had a different dad when I was little. I used to believe that maybe they flew in on birds like babies did and that this dad could be sent back. As I got older, I just learned that that wasn't true. You can't pick your family, Lan. You can only try to live with the hand you're dealt with. You can't re-shuffle. You can't re-deal."

"Mayl." Lan tried again.

"I mean. Who does that? Who let a child raise herself? Who leaves her for days to months hoping that she'll teach herself the right things in life? Who willing does nothing as their child's life is passing by and says nothing?" Mayl said, becoming louder and louder as she continued.

"Mayl!" Lan said grabbing her by the shoulders. The touch shocked her out of her train of thought, but now all that emotion was no longer directed at her thought bubble object. Her rage, confusion, and sadness were now mixed into an explosive combination of emotions.

"What!" she spat.

"Calm down. You want the whole neighborhood to hear you?"

"So what? Everyone already knows I live by myself. It's no surprise to anyone he's gone. You know what I had to do every time there was I needed parental permission to do anything in school. I had to forge his signature. It was the only thing I ever saw him write. Every time a teacher asked me about my dad and parent conferences, I lied and said he was sick and couldn't come in. Every time I've had to cover for someone I don't even care about."

"You do care about him…"

Mayl's head turned sharply to him. Lan's eyes showed no signs of him joking, "_What_ did you just say?" She said lowly.

* * *

Update: Friday

DN2 has more follows than DN1, achievement unlocked! (Thank you, everyone!)

Anypanel, I asked this last week but Fanfiction was having a hissy fit last week, so it looked like I hadn't updated for a while. Do you guys want me to keep putting previews at the bottom of these chapters? I can't promise that they won't be cliff hangers, in fact I can almost promise that they will be cliff hangers (I have to give you guys a reason to keep reading!) but it's something I can work out.

Also, I forgot to mention this last time. Day 5 was the halfway mark in DN2. I believe there is about three weeks left in this installment before we move onto the next story and then a little break in before DN3 (probably about the same time that was there for DN1 to 2).

**Important Announcement!**

Gav is back on the Double Network Team and ready to go (don't forget to welcome him back!)! So, we're both currently working on DN3 right now! Also, if you check my profile, the DN section has been updated. You can go ahead and post guesses for what DN3's acronym means. I'm interested in seeing what the results are. Also, there is one more story that has been announced, but you guys don't know what it is yet (it's a mystery!).


	12. Chapter 11

**Day 6 Part 2 - Breaking To Be Fixed**

She saw Lan take a breath before answering her, "If you didn't care about him, you wouldn't feel so upset. It's the fact that you care about him, is what's hurting you so much."

Lan didn't get much more to talk before Mayl ripped herself from him and started to leave. However, in mid walk, she stopped and turned around, "Let's get one thing straight, Lan. I don't like my father. I don't care about my father. And I'm not going to see him. He expects to try to talk to me after leaving me alone for all these years. I wish he was a net navi…then I could just delete him and be done with him."

Lan's eyes widened in shock; he had never seen Mayl this upset before in his whole life. He got up behind her, "Mayl, I think you're…"

"You think I'm _what_, Lan!" Mayl yelled, getting right up in his face. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a little voice was screaming at her. Telling her to stop this madness. Lan wasn't the one who had hurt her. He was only trying to help. But the rest of her mind was lost in her emotion. Lan was just the unfortunate soul who was its current target.

"I think you're overreacting," He gulped.

If she wasn't mad before, she was now, "Over. Overreacting? He abandoned me for five years, Hikari. He ignored me for more! Do you know what that's like! Do you know what it's like to not even have someone to tell you goodnight, love you as a kid? Do you know what it's like waking up from a nightmare and having no one to take comfort in? Do you know what it's like to wake up every day knowing that someone really doesn't give a crap about your life? Well, do you! Of course you don't. You're the world's hero. You wouldn't know what it's like to feel out of the loop even if it plucked your eyes out!" Mayl screamed, well beyond livid.

"I didn't ask to be the world's hero." Lan retorted, beginning to feel kind of insulted.

"Oh sure. You and your precious brother save the world. Never mind all the help you got from the rest of us. Without me getting the others, you would have never even figured out your way past the first door in World Three's base!" she growled.

"Mayl..." Lan warned, his own anger beginning to kindle. He hadn't asked for a fight, but she was beginning to act like everyone had suddenly scorned her. And what hurt him the most was that everyone…included him.

"Actually, how much work do you do at all? It's all Megaman. Your brother does all the work and he gets half the credit? How does that work? I guess all you men love pushing the insignificant bugs out of your life. He died for you and how do you repay him? You send him back out there to be deleted, repeatedly! What happens when one day you can't just jack him out in the nick of time? Oh but what do you care, you're Lan Hikari. Everyone else is your loyal sidekick, even your own brother. I wonder just how long it will be before he dies again just to help you gain more glory!" Normally, Mayl would have never said such things, but she was lost in her own world of pain. It was just all wrong. This situation, her father. Everything. And it wasn't until she heard Lan's own pain, did she realize she had just crossed a line.

"SHUT UP, MAYL!" Lan yelled, his own face bright red with anger. She could be mad at him all she wanted too. But no one, not even her, dared to make such a statement.

Mayl's eyes widened as Lan's pained voice rang in her head. The severity of what she had just said dawned on her.

"I know you're in pain. I know you're father abandoned you. But that doesn't give you the right to make parallels to me. And that sure as hell does not give you a right to bring Hub into this. We didn't ask to be the world's saviors, but we answered a call. It may not have been the most kid friendly one, but it was the best choice we could make.

"You don't know the stress, the fear, and the paranoia I got from doing what I did! You talk about being alone. Do you know how I felt when Megaman turned dark? I almost had to kill my own brother! And if you think that's bad, don't even talk to me about last summer. You all may say you've forgiven me, but I can't forget what I did. Do you know how many people look up to me?

"Everywhere I go, something goes bad. And guess who has to fix it? It's like I'm a plague to everything I touched. You want to know why I yelled at you those years ago. Because Match tricked me and because of him, I almost had my own father and countless others killed! You think it's easy for me? Well it's not!" Lan's eyes blazed for the first time. So many years he had tried to keep his stress contained and now she had undone his barrier in one sentence, "I'm sorry for what happened to you. But always remember someone has it worse than you. Now if you excuse me, I need to go."

"Lan, wait!"

"Sorry, but I've got to go plan how to discard my navi." he said bitterly, leaving Mayl standing in the snow wondering just what had she done.

* * *

"Hey, Lan. You okay?" Megaman asked as his brother slammed the door to his room. He had been out doing errands again and hadn't been in Lan's PET.

"Not now, Hub." He said angrily as he plopped down on his bed. How could she say that to him? How could she even think that about him? He growled to himself and stuffed his face in his pillow.

"You know, you feel better when you talk about it." Megaman said, he hadn't seen Lan this angry in quite a while.

"Hub, please. Not now." His brother said, softer this time. Though, it could have also been from the muffling effect of the pillow.

The PET went off, signaling that an email had come in. Seeing that Lan was not in a good mood, Megaman opened the email. It was from Roll.

_Hey Mega, can you come over to my PC ASAP. It's really bad._

Megaman looked at the email and then back at Lan. Slowly the pieces were coming together. As Megaman sent a reply, he looked back at his brother, "I'm going to go out for a bit. Are you going to be okay?"

Seeing as he got no response, Megaman took it for a yes and immediately headed over to Mayl's PC. He wondered if they had been the two people he had heard outside yelling.

* * *

"And that's what happened." Roll finished.

"Wow, now wonder Lan came back ticked." Megaman said as he looked out of the NetOp's window. Mayl lay on her bed, silently crying.

"So, how's Lan?" Roll said as she closed the window.

"About the same as her, but with less tears."

"This whole situation's a mess."

"There's an understatement. I've never seen Lan this upset."

"I haven't seen Mayl like this either. But what can we do?"

"I don't know. Both of them are wrong. It's just a bad combination of things." Silence enclosed around the two navis. Both wanted nothing more than to make their NetOps happy. But how? Lan didn't want to talk to anybody and Mayl was so confused, she probably wouldn't even know what to say.

"She thinks she's lost him." Roll said, breaking the silence.

"Huh?"

"That's why she's been crying for the past ten minutes. She hurt him and he didn't deserve it. She believes that he's going to shut her out from his life now."

"But Lan wouldn't do that."

"Yeah, I know. But she won't believe me. Not unless Lan himself says it."

"Great, that makes things easier." Megaman grumbled. As if this mess could get any more complicated, "Man. Why can't they just swap minds for a second, realize that both of them know they're wrong, and that emotions just got to high?"

Roll's eyes brightened for a split second before she grabbed Megaman and kissed him, "You're a genius, Hub!"

"I am?" He asked, really confused. But he wasn't complaining.

"Yeah. They can't switch minds, but they can switch navis! All they need is a different perspective on things. You talk to Mayl and I'll handle Lan."

"Um…you sure this is a good idea?"

"Why wouldn't it be? It's yours." She said happily as she left for his PC, leaving Megaman to take on his hardest challenge yet…convincing Mayl that Lan didn't hate her.

* * *

"Lan... Lan!" a voice called out.

The young man grumbled. He really didn't need Megaman down his back right now. He took a pillow off of his head and prepared to once again tell his brother that he wasn't in the mood until he saw that the navi was actually Roll. The pink navi sighed, "Thank goodness. I thought that you were asleep for a second there."

"What are you doing here? Did Mayl send you?" he asked.

"Nope, I came here by myself. I'm here to hear your side of the story."

"What?"

"Lan, both of us know what Mayl said was wrong. But you weren't really right either. Both of you were just angry. Mayl at her father and you at her, specifically what she had said about Hub right?"

"Yeah…" Lan said, he hadn't been expecting Roll to get it right on the first go, "How'd you guess?"

"Remember a couple years ago? Hub and I had a similar problem. We both got very emotional. Megaman because he thought I would never love him as a net navi and me because I was hurt by what he told me. When I think about it, this situation isn't too different from ours."

"You could say something like that." Lan said, seeing where she was coming from. Roll merely took a seat on the PC floor. She really wasn't expecting to do much talking. With Lan, she pretty much had to be blunt. Even without his denseness, he could still miss something pretty easily.

Seeing that the navi was merely waiting for him, he continued, "It's just…it hurt. All I ever did was tell her that she really did care about her dad. I mean why wouldn't she? My dad was never home a lot when I was a kid, and even though I had my mom around, I never hated him. Why else would Mayl cover for him? Plus, she acted like everyone knew her situation and that we were all to blame. Sure, we may have noticed that he was not really around but neither was Dex's dad or Yai's parents. We never called the cops on them! It was just…"

"Wrong?"

"Yeah…that's exactly what it was. It hurt that she could ever assume that we wanted her to be alone. That we wanted here to not have a good family. And then she had to go on and call me a glory hog and an endangerment to my brother. Doesn't she know I feel guilty enough about jeopardizing Hub every time I jack him in the Net? That was one of the main reasons I was never told that Megaman was Hub." He said, looking at the navi.

Roll took a breath before speaking, "Lan, please don't be mad of me for this. But do you remember how you felt when you lost Hub after the Alpha incident?"

"Yeah."

"Good. I won't pretend to know how you felt when Hub died. But I know one thing, there are things a lot worse than death. Feeling responsible for a loved one's death is one of those things. What Mayl said to you was wrong yes, but now she's also in her own hell. She's think she's lost you Lan. When you all were kids, she used to always say how amazing of a friend you were and how much she loved you. Now she feels like she broken even bit of trust between you guys. I'm not telling you to merely forget about what she said. I'm just asking that you won't break her. Because if you never talk to her again, she will crack. You've been one of the only lights in her life. If you go out, I don't know what she'll do." Roll got up and moved to leave, knowing that she had said enough.

"Roll." Lan said, causing her to stop, "Thanks. Tell Mayl I'll see her in ten minutes, if she's okay with it that is."

"I'm sure she'll be fine with it." Roll smiled as she went back to her homepage.

* * *

"Mayl," Megaman said awkwardly, he wasn't really sure just how to talk to Mayl. Lan, in contrast, was so much different than her. Getting through this would probably be very difficult.

The young woman tensed. Megaman couldn't help to feel sorry for her as he saw her red brimmed eyes. However, the second she realized who it was, she dropped it back into the pillow again. She wouldn't look at him, couldn't look at him.

"Mayl, it's okay. I'm not mad." He said softly. He heard muffled noise, "What was that?"

"I said, I'm sorry. I don't expect you or Lan to forgive, but I'm so so sorry. I don't know what was wrong with me. One second I was sitting on the bench and the next…" she merely returned back to her initial position.

"Hey, it's okay. We all get mad and say things we don't mean. Just ask me or Roll. Remember two years ago? I don't ever there being a time where I was madder at her; she had been so persistent about knowing what I was hiding that I just told her everything I swore I never would say," he noticed that Mayl had picked her head up again, "But in the end. It all worked out okay."

"Be that as it may, I crossed a line. I should have never said those things to Lan. He was only trying to help me, and I threw it in his face."

"Mayl, you have to face him. Trying to hide from him won't do you any good. And it will only divide you two even further." Megaman frowned as he noticed Mayl looking back down, absent mindedly drawing circles with her fingers on her bed sheet, "You know. Lan had a crush on you when you guys were in fifth grade."

Mayl looked back and stared disbelievingly at the navi, "He did! I didn't know until we were coming back from Netopia during the days when Gospel was a threat. Did he ever tell you he had a dream about you? I thought he was about to tell the whole world, all he said was your name over and over again." Megaman smiled inwardly as he heard a laugh coming from Mayl, "I'm telling you that because not even this is going to stop Lan from loving you. Not even this, you both made a mistake. This stuff happens all the time. Just because it's the first time doesn't mean it's the end of the world."

Mayl looked down at the floor before staring back at the navi, "Mega…no, Hub. Thank you. I'll talk to Lan. And I'm sorry again."

"It's okay, Mayl. And I'll give him the message." Megaman said as he walked away from the girl to return home. Well, that actually wasn't as bad as he thought it was going to be.

* * *

"Hey," Mayl started. After Megaman left, Roll came back and told her that Lan wanted to see her in about ten minutes.

True to his word, he was in her house and the two were sitting awkwardly in Mayl's living room. Mayl really wanted to sit next to him; but even after Megaman's pep talk, she still couldn't bring herself to it.

"Hey," he said back, just as lamely. Lan looked down at his hands for a second before looking back up at his girlfriend. He could see her fear in her eyes, "Look, Mayl. I'm sorry. I should have never yelled at you."

"No, you were right. I should have never said those things to you. You were just trying to help me and I…" her voice caught, "I'm just so sorry."

"Hey, hey." He said, walking over to her seat on the couch. Tears had begun to form in Mayl's eyes. Gently, he hugged the young woman, "You know. I'm not sure if you remember her, but there was a kid we used to know when we were little. The first day of kindergarten, she was so sad. I know it's been a while, but I never forgot her, even then. I always saw her eyes darting around, trying to find anyone who would accept her. So, being the nice person I was, I talked to her. And when I did, I discovered the joy of just making people feel happy. She looked as though she didn't care if the world blew up, she was just happy that someone talked to her." He said as his hand rubbed her back.

"Why are you telling me this?" Mayl asked.

"Because even though I may not know what you feel, I'm willing to always be there for you. I know what you dad did to you; he left you. Abandoned you. But you need to let go of that. That's why I wanted you to go see him. I know you're scared and I'll go with you if you want me too. But only if you want me too."

"Why are you being so nice? I've been treating you like dirt for the past three weeks. I tried to stay away from you. I just insulted at you when you were only trying to help me."

"Do you really have to ask? It's because I love you. And you're going to have to do a lot more to get rid of me."

"Lan…thank you. I love you. I love you so much." She said as she kissed her boyfriend.

* * *

Update: Monday

Little behind the scenes here. Originally, this fight wasn't in here. After Gav looked over what I had wrote, he made a modification and sent me back his form of what the argument would be like. He and I went back and forth about just how everyone would be acting for this and soon, this Part 2 was born into what it is today!

Also, the next story's acronym has been released. So far you guys have DNB: THHF and DN3: SID. What those acronyms mean, only me and Gav know (feel free to guess).

So what did you all think of our little social disaster? For those wondering where I put the action and Crashman, just wait til Monday. ...Bass stop smiling creepily. Just because you appear in the next day doesn't give you the right to smile like that. ...I just said a spoiler didn't I...bugfrag.

Finally, Part 6 of my Let's Play is up! watch?v=E8Yt2QIwBq8&feature=


	13. Chapter 12

**Day 7 Part 1 - Preparing For your Worst Nightmare**

Crashman's foot was tapping. How long did it take for women to get ready? It seemed like the stereotype even delved into those into the cyber world. Crashman looked out to see the busy traffic of navis in the Traffic Control Comp. What simple lives. What meaningless lives. They went on day after day without a care in the world. He almost pitied them. He himself did not know what it was like to be with an operator. And for that he was grateful.

After all, when you have a crutch like humans, incidents like Megaman's last summer become almost predictable. He laughed. An navi control by a mere voice print program. It was pathetic of the so called Hero of the Cyber World. Even despite seeing his power for himself, he still couldn't believe that the blue boy could defeat someone of the caliber of Bass.

Crashman smiled. Now there was a navi who had a life. Bass was the God of Destruction in the Net and boy could he prove it. One day when he was passing by the Undernet, he had heard the rumors of the scarce navi. How he fought Megaman without fail or reason. How he fought Serenade for days. How he was willing to do anything for power. How he hated the humans. Now that was a role model! One he couldn't wait to follow.

When he had been created, he had been told that something very powerful would be at SciLab. However, he would have to go through trials in order to do so. One of them was being involved in CHAOS. Yes, although he was nothing more than an terrible actor, he was a brilliant liar, able to intertwine the truth with lies so effectively he could make anyone believe him…except Megaman. He was upset that Megaman had not bought his act. It would have made his job so much easier. Ah well, the navi would give him what he wanted very very soon.

Shaking him out of his thoughts, Crashman felt a hand on his shoulder.

"About time." He murmured.

"But I was just getting ready," a silky voice said. When Crashman turned around, he almost felt sorry for the navi. After all, being based off of a failed product was just a terrible idea. Another reason to curse the humans, why did they feel the need to be some…repetitive? The female navi had blond hair with a sand colored body suit. She wore no helmet, making her stand out more than other navis, and warm blue eyes. Funnily enough, her emblem was just a solid diamond. The reflective surface almost hypnotized Crashman. For a moment, he felt himself beginning to disappear into another world. However, he shook his mind free of the shard's destructive abilities before that could happen.

"Yes, it is apparent. Just tell me you remember what you're supposed to do."

"I'm vain, not deaf. Getting the boy to talk will be simple. I don't even think you need me to do it." She said, her eyes darting away to look at something more interesting than Crashman, whatever that was. He never bothered to turn around. Even with her high maintenance attitude, she was still a dangerous navi.

"Well, what if I told you were the only one beautiful enough to get Megaman's attention."

"In case you haven't noticed, his loyalty is to the pink one. Everyone in the Net knows about it. The great Megaman hooks up with his NetOp's navi. What makes you think I can cause him to run in circles?" she smiled coyly. Of course, she could do it. She may act haughty, but she wasn't stupid. She knew Crashman was just trying to get on her good side. Who didn't?

"Well, just get the job done. And I would call it wise to mess with the first in command of CHAOS."

"Yes, first in command…if you don't count the human who created you. I'll be ready." She said as he stalked off. Crashman merely shook his head. When he got his power, he was finding his way to the real world and killing the person who thought they could create navis like her and make them likable, who would just be the same person who had sent him on this trivial quest. But of course, he wasn't merely going to hand this power over to her like she had asked and even attempted to program into him. After all, as Crystal's mindset had pointed out, when you miss a few lines in your programming…your code comes out much differently than intended.

* * *

"You sure you don't want me to go with you?" Lan asked as he and Mayl walked towards the security gate.

"Yes, Lan. Besides, as much as I would want you to, you can't for two reasons. One, there was no way that you were going to come up with the money to get a plane ticket in two minutes. And two, because you're right. I need to do this. But I need to do this right, that means me and my father." Mayl said, sighing. She knew Lan meant well, but this was the only thing he had talked about since they had left for the airport. Frankly, she was beginning to get annoyed.

"I was just making sure because…" Mayl put a finger to his lips, effectively shutting him up.

"I'll see you in two days okay?" she said.

"Okay, call me once you land?"

"Of course," she said as she walked away.

"What, no goodbye kiss?"

"Sorry, that's what you get for annoying me!"

"That's cruel and unusual punishment."

"Oh, don't be a baby." She laughed as she went for the gate. However, she did wait for him to turn his back before running back to hug him, "And that's all you're getting until I get back."

Lan laughed as he hugged his girlfriend goodbye, "I love you. Have a good flight."

"Thanks. I love you too. Do me a favor and stay out of trouble will you?"

"I can't promise that."

"Sadly, you're right."

* * *

After leaving the airport, Lan found himself returning back to his home. After saying hi to his mother, he retired back to his old room. He found it strange to be back, especially after being in a dorm for a whole semester. Jacking his navi into the computer, Lan soon found himself returning back to his bed to sleep. He had spent most of the night helping Mayl to pack and hadn't gotten much rest. As he slept, he merely prayed that Mayl would finally get a chance to yell at the man who caused her so much pain over the years. He also wished Roll would record it so that he and Megaman could watch.

* * *

As Megaman walked around ACDC Area 1 for the 12th time, he realized one thing. He spent a lot of time walking around with Roll. Now, walking by himself felt weird and not very entertaining. Good grief, what had happened to him? What happened to all days when all he did was virus bust for fun? Now, he went out for dates and spent long amounts of time with someone who understood him just as well as he understood himself. And without Roll, he was bored. Deleting the local viruses could only give him so much entertainment.

"There really is nothing to do here, is there?" he asked no one in particular.

Giving into his boredom, he found himself walking back to his PC. Maybe Lan would be up and they could do something. He just prayed that it wouldn't be virus busting; after the third time, the task itself became a bore to him. However, something caught his eye. It was a girl with blond hair. But it wasn't that that had caught his eyes. She was wearing no helmet, had on a pink body suit, and her hair had been tied up in a ponytail with a green bow. The body suit was exactly Roll's hue. Although custom navis could take off their helmets, normally they never bothered. Roll and Megaman did remove theirs, but only in private. Megaman stared at the navi. Why would Roll be here? She should have been on an airplane with Mayl to Netopia.

Unless, it had been delayed. Megaman didn't recall hearing the phone go off. But against his better judgment, he approached the navi. And the minute he tapped her shoulder, he wished he didn't. The girl immediately punched him in his gut and swept his legs from under him. Trying to get back to his feet, Megaman pushed himself off from against the ground. But when the girl climbed on top of him, he realized that getting up would be a lot harder. The navi put her hand over his head and closed her eyes. As she breathed, Megaman felt himself becoming sleepy. He tried to fight of the feeling; but very soon, he was out like a light.

* * *

The girl got off from him and smirked as she dragged him towards his PC. He had fallen for her disguise, but here came the risky part. She wouldn't be able to take him anywhere private other than his PC, but there was the problem of his NetOp. If he woke up before she got the information, it would be all over. Mirage growled, she would just have to work quickly then. As they teleported in, she grimaced as she realized what she had to do.

Normally, she liked to ease her victims into her world. But he would be much harder to break, especially since she was official doing a rush job. So, she would break him into her imagination…violently. Her diamond glowed as she closed her eyes again.

* * *

Update: Wednesday

Bass will be giving out brownies and/or cookies to whoever guesses who the design of this female navi is based off of! There is one word in particular of her description you all should be looking out for! That's your only clue! Answer to this question will be told on Wednesday!


	14. Chapter 13

**Day 7 Part 2 - Cheap Tactics**

_When Megaman woke up, he heard the sound of crying. As he got up, he noticed that he was damaged. Pain throbbed throughout his body. He looked down and saw that his navi emblem was cracked. Data leaked out of him like blood from an open wound. Megaman tried to speak. Tried to call out to his brother. However, as he opened his mouth, he realized that no sound came out of it. It was almost as if someone had torn out his speech program. He surveyed the field and went his body go cold._

_ Bass was here. He was out of the Undernet and fighting. It took Megaman a moment to realize that he was in SciLab Square. But this fact was not the reason that caused he felt his very core feel like it was going to explode in fear. _

_Bass fighting Roll. Her helmet had been discarded and cracked on the floor. One of her energy ribbons laid on the ground as its data disappeared. Megaman tried to walk forward, but he soon found himself walking backwards. What the heck? When he moved one direction, he moved in the opposite. When he moved forward, he went backward; left, right and vice versa. He didn't feel confused. So why was his movement inverted?_

_ "AHHH!" Roll screamed as she got slammed into the ground. Bass pulled out Gospel's head and fire breathed from out of it. The flames licked the ground and surrounded the two navis. Escape was impossible now and it seemed as if they had been cut off from their operators._

'NO!' _Megaman thought. Well, he had a long ranged weapon for a reason. He raised his Megabuster and fired. But no shots came out. No, the only thing that came from his futile attack was the resounding clicking sound of a misfire. No, he couldn't be bugged. Not now! Not when she needed him._

_ "Hmph. You're even weaker than your pathetic boy toy over there. Perhaps he likes the weak to make himself feel powerful?" Bass mused as he hovered closer to the downed navi._

_ "SHUT UP!" Roll screamed as she tried to get back up. However, another Vanishing World attack merely blew her back. Megaman gasped as she landed next to him. Her emblem had been completely destroyed due to the blast at such close range. He moved forwards and, this time, actually went forward. He pulled Roll close to him, trying to keep her as safe as he could._

_ "Roll…" he said as he put a hand on her cheek._

_ "I'm sorry, Mega. I guessed I messed up, didn't I?" she said painfully._

_ "No, no, no. None of this is your fault. I won't let you die."_

_ "But…my core…you can't save me."_

_ "No…there has to be a way." He said, picking her up in his arms. He knew Bass was behind them; he could hear his laughter. But he needed to get Roll out of here. SciLab had to have something that could save her life. He took a look and realized that Bass was only covering the exit onto the Net itself. Megaman could still get into SciLab. The security clearance needed to get in wouldn't stop Bass, but it would slow him down. _

_Gathering Roll in his arms, he sprinted, despite his body detesting the movement. After a few minutes, or what felt like hours to him, he had gone through the first entry point and had made it to the entry point of SciLab's research facility. This scanner was out here unlike the first entry point. He would have to manually input his code so that the door would unlock. He quickly tried to type his code into the panel. Both he and Lan used their father's since they often needed to find him here when he wasn't in his office. However, as he touched the keypad, he was shocked. When he tried again, he was met with the same result._

_ "Maybe I could do it…" Roll mumbled in his arms. She reached out her hand and was pleasantly surprised to find that it didn't shock her, "What's the code?"_

_ "501105" he said, quickly. If Megaman was thinking straight, he would have questioned why Roll was not injured by the device. He would have also question why she was not in more pain than she was. For custom navis, being hit in the core almost always assured a painful demise. But the only thing on his mind was saving her and so he dismissed it._

_ Roll quickly inputted the code and the door's glowing bars where lowered. The girl smiled in his arms before starting to squirm. When Megaman dropped her, she landed perfectly fine on her feet. As Megaman looked into her eyes, he realized something wrong with the picture. Earlier, he could have sworn that he had seen Roll's fearful green eyes. But now, her eyes were blue…not green._

_ "Well, that was easy. Thanks blue boy! I'd love to stay, but I've got to run!" 'Roll' said as she ran from the blue bomber and disappeared into nothingness._

_ Before Megaman could even process the situation, he felt himself being pushed down to the ground. As he turned himself around, he saw Bass hovering over him._

_ "It's time to end this, Megaman. Today, I become the most powerful on the Net!" Bass charged his buster and fired._

* * *

"HUB! Wake up!" Lan yelled as Megaman snapped awake. If he still had a real heart, he was certain than it would be pounding by now, "About time! Geez, and I thought I slept like a rock."

"What happened?"

"I don't know. You woke me up with your screaming. I didn't know navis had dreams."

"We don't. Something…something happened to me. I remembered walking around ACDC Area and then being jumped by this navi who passed herself of as Roll. After that, I've got nothing."

"The navi must have messed with you. Maybe you were seeing things?"

"Maybe…if I was, this navi is not one to be messed with. But using those kind of images, it was almost as if I was in another world."

"Couldn't have been a dream. You were standing up when I woke you up. More like you were seeing something."

"Like a mirage…"

Lan sighed, "I'm glad that I didn't promise Mayl to stay out of trouble."

"Yeah, something tells me something big is about to happen. Really big." Megaman said as he began to realize just why he had been attacked in the first place, "Lan, I think I messed up…badly messed up."

* * *

"I've got your code. Seriously, all the work for the numbers 501105? A palindrome? What great security… You really couldn't get those for yourself. For "first" in command, you really are the lazy—" She gaped as something stabbed her. A gray sword was sticking from out of her.

"And I thank you for your service, Mirage. But I afraid I don't need you anymore." The navi said as her data disappeared onto the Net. He had the code now. Perfect, now all he had he needed to get into SciLab and take what he wanted. His stage had already been set for him. It was now time to shine.

* * *

It was dark. Very dark. But to Bass, the Undernet was as bright as the Overnet. The God of Destruction hovered over the path that would send him into Undernet Omega. Since summer, he had been hearing rumors of a navi obtaining inexplicable power from this area. He hadn't been surprised when he had learned it was Megaman.

Bass felt himself becoming sick as he thought about the blue navi. For years, Megaman had tormented him. Bass stared down at his hands. He was the ultimate navi. There was no one better than him, but yet there was. Countless times, Bass had tried to rid the world of the useless navi. However, every time he tried, the blue boy had defeated him. And it drove him mad. He had the Get Ability program. He had the power of the Cybeast, Falzar, something that Megaman no longer possessed. But yet, he had lost to him.

Bass scowled. Megaman had always told him that his strength came from the unity between him and his human operator. The very idea that he was defeated by a human sickened Bass. He was and would never be weaker than a human. So then why was this Lan able to harness Megaman's powers. How could they channel their souls together and find a way every time to defeat him?

Bass's thoughts were interrupted as he turned his head. He had felt a presence that had been following him for several hours. At first, he had figured it was just a random navi. But as he continued deeper into the Undernet, Bass made a decision. This navi wanted something. As the navi stepped forward, Bass noticed that he was cloaked with a gray cloth. Hmm, now who could this be?

"Leave now. I have no time to deal with you." Bass said plainly.

"I'm not sure, if you understand. I must fight you. After all, you are the one who was the closest to defeating Megaman," the navi pointed out.

"You dare mock me?"

"Not mock. Merely stating a fact. What's the matter, Bass? Are you afraid that you'll lose to me and that I will be the one who defeats Megaman?"

Bass looked at the navi in front of him with disbelief before he started laughing, "Defeat Megaman? You are more ambitious than I thought. You will never be able to defeat Megaman. No," a green sphere was charging in his hand, "that right is reserved for me. I left to become stronger and stronger I have become! Earthbreaker!"

As the smoke cleared, the navi was still standing. A purple aura covering him. However, his cloak had been blown off. Bass merely smirked. The navi was a dark red, almost crimson color. His face was nothing more than a set of blank eyes. He bore no emblem and dark purple lines streamed around him, making almost a web of sorts around him. If anything, Bass would call him nothing more than a shell and personality.

"Hm. This will be interesting indeed." The navi said. He had been told to lay off his abilities; but once he had Bass, he would have no need to hold back.

* * *

"Hell's Rolling!" Bass launched several purple spinning wheels at his intended target. However, the navi merely zoomed around them and prepared himself for a counter attack.

"Bug Thunder Sword!" the navi's hand was turned into a black sword and electricity crackled around it.

"Hmph, you're pathetic. Dark Arm Blade." Bass's own blade appeared and attacked. Despite, the navi's sword being extremely powerful, Bass merely cut through it with a stroke of his blade, "I've had enough of you. Prepare for your own deletion. Darkness Overload!"

The navi saw his opponent fire his dark blast. The very air in the area had felt charged. There was no way that his Gaia Aura would stand up to such power, but he had one more trick up his sleeve, "Void Hole!"

A dark hole appeared in front of the blast, absorbing it. The navi held out his palm and prepared to return the attack. However, in mid charge, the navi fell to his knees. He looked at his hand which had already succumbed to deletion. He still couldn't control his power. He had brought on the aura fine enough, but the use of merely one of his attack dripped him dry. The navi looked back at Bass and growled before he jacked out.

As Bass looked at the spot where the navi had disappeared from, he scowled. Yet another navi who dared to try and defeat him. But, Bass couldn't help but wonder just what would happen if the whole scene had played out. How long would have this battle gone on for? Bass merely growled and headed deeper into the Undernet. He needed to train much harder if he was to defeat this new one and Megaman.

* * *

Update: Friday

The answer I was looking for was Hypnia, but I'll except Desertman as well since his powers also fit the hypnosis criteria. Congrats to terratasha and ShadowDusk94 for getting it right! Bass will be by with your prize later.


	15. Chapter 14

**Day 7 Part 3 - Break In! This Is Not A Drill!**

"This is definitely not good." Protoman mused. He and Chaud had been called in by Dr. Hikari earlier that day. The timing of it all was rather strange, especially since all the officials had just received an email saying that they were on red alert. The news they received once they got to SciLab was less than pleasant.

"So, this means they can get into SciLab undetected?" Chaud asked the doctor.

"Not necessarily. We've suspended my code to the SciLab network. However, since the code has existed within the database, it'll be easier for this navi to get in." Dr. Hikari said.

"I'm sorry, guys. This is all my fault." Megaman hung his head. How could he be so stupid! Logic should have dictated to him that there was no way that Roll would just get up and leave Mayl in the airport. Plus, the flight had left no more than three hours ago!

"No time to feel sorry for yourself now, Megaman. The important part is to make sure that SciLab is not infiltrated. We're still unsure as to what the last intruder wanted here and now that the code is out, we're in more danger than ever." Protoman looked at his rival, who merely dropped his shoulders lower. Well, it hadn't been the most comforting thing he had ever said to the blue navi; but in times of emergency, there was no time for comfort.

"I guess you're right." Megaman sighed, "So, whoever has the code is going to want that program now. But since the scare, SciLab's security has really been powered up."

"Yes, but at least the code doesn't allow access into the SciLab Security Areas." Protoman said, taking comfort in the thought.

"The thing that bothers me is this. Why the importance of the program now? It's only been almost a week since the last attempt failed. Why bother with all this work now to get this program?" Lan thought allowed, leaving Chaud speechless.

"Hikari, when did you start to think like an official?" the skunk haired boy said.

"What can I say, going to college can even change people like me." Lan smirked.

Before anyone could bother to laugh at this statement, the lights began to dimmer. Dr. Hikari typed in a couple of commands into the computer, "Hmm. Seems like a power disruption."

"So they're moving in now?" Lan asked.

"No, I'm afraid it's more likely those Christmas decorations around the Net. SciLab is one of several places where the structure of the whole Net is stored. Unfortunately, these new Christmas designs draw a lot of power and sometimes cause power fluctuations here in the building." His dad responded.

"Well, at least we can take some comfort in that." Chaud said, as he looked through his chip folder, preparing for the battle ahead.

* * *

Crashman walked into SciLab Square. It seemed as though it was just yesterday when Blademan appeared to delete him. Crashman grimaced. He had really wanted to have been able to trick Megaman. But, the blue navi was smarter than he gave him credit for. However, his loyalty to his friends was much more fun to take advantage of. He couldn't believe that Mirage had nabbed his code from him so quickly! What did she do? Turn into Roll and say please?

Ah, well. He had the code and SciLab should have already suspended it. Exactly, what he had wanted. See, all the suspended codes went to a different database than all the active codes. Often times, they were junk data since most SciLab workers were often given new codes to replace the ones that had been comprised.

Once a suspended code had been used, it would come up as an error in the main database and the individual would be unable to get into the network. However, errors in coding were also a good place to start bugs. SciLab had been creative in stashing the employee and intern codes in several databases, each with their own levels of security. However, there was one level which had been easier to get to than others. The cafeteria. It had been added earlier that fall so that the scientists wouldn't have to always go outside to eat or bring their own food. However, it was also an unprotected server that communicated with the worker database. All that was left for the navi to do was put a well-placed Crash Bomb into the data stream. Well, several really.

Now, just to trip the security. Crashman walked onto the portal that would take him into SciLab Area 1. As his data was scanned, it discovered the code. The moment it did that, Crashman thought he heard computers in the real world exploding. Oh yeah, people were constantly looking at the databases…which were set with bombs to disperse the bugs at a high rate of speed throughout. He must have forgotten. Crashman smirked as he jacked into SciLab Main Area 1.

The Net Area had become a wasteland. The background now reminded him off those old TVs that never got any signal. The ground was cracked in several places. And best of all, all those security navis were now dispersed. The explosion had happened in SciLab Data Areas…leaving SciLab Security Areas completely unattended. This would be far too easy. Why didn't the first person merely try this? It was so much easier than breaking down the front door. Crashman ran forward. It was time to collect his program.

* * *

Megaman and Protoman ran to SciLab Data Area 1 the minute they had heard the explosion. Dr. Hikari reported that many of the computers had reported a critical system failure and had rapidly overheated. Several systems within SciLab were becoming infected with a bug that had been dispersed at a rapid rate of speed. Almost as if someone had set off a bomb with it.

The worst part was that several doors within SciLab had been locked down and a fire had erupted in the Database Room. Several people were in there and would die if no one saved them! As Megaman ran, he noticed several navis also following him. Many of them were the new security navis. Upgraded from their previous glory days, these navis were still normal, but far more customized. They still kept their red color and seemed much more human like than computer.

However, there was one more thing that Megaman noticed…someone was running in the opposite direction than they were. While SciLab had many networks intertwined with its main one, many of them intersected. Running along the road to the SciLab Security Area was none other than Crashman! Megaman stopped moving running as soon as he saw the navi.

"Megaman! What are you doing! You need to get to SciLab Data Area 1 now!" Lan yelled.

"Lan, we're being misled! Look, there's Crashman!" Megaman pointed.

"What! How did he get in?" Chaud started.

"I don't know what he did, but it is clear. This fire is only a division. While everyone's distracted, he's going for his prize." Protoman stated.

"Ah man, now we're going to have to choose." Lan mumbled.

"No," one of the security navis had doubled back to see why the two navis had stopped, "You two go and stop that navi. We have more than enough navis to reopen the doors and regain control."

"Alright. Thank you." Megaman said as he and Protoman head back towards SciLab Security Area 1.

* * *

"Unbelievable…" Megaman said as he and Protoman entered into SciLab Security Area 1. The rest of SciLab's net areas had looked bad due to the explosion and the destruction of all the data, but this place looked horrific. Several panels were cracked, the area's background had turned from its vibrant sky blue to a black backdrop, and some of the panels had even looked lumpy to him…if that was even possible. As Megaman stepped forward, he heard a timer starting to go off. The blue navi quickly jumped forward and narrowly avoided yet another explosion.

"He must have put bombs underneath some of the panels. Let's try to avoid those if possible." Protoman said.

"Right." Megaman nodded, just as he heard another explosion.

"The final firewall, Crashman must be attacking it!" Chaud said.

"Hurry guys!" Lan shouted as the two navi ran forward, though with their eyes towards the ground to avoid stepping on more bombs.

* * *

"Finally, I have it." Crashman said as he finally broke through the firewall stopping him from entering into SciLab Archives Network. It had taken an annoyingly large amount of Crash Rushs to punch a hole through it, but hey extra power is helpful. Especially when you merely take it. Crashman walked toward the center of the network, where a single program floated in midair.

The Adapt Program. From what he had been told, this program allowed any network or navi to handle an unknown amount of data. SciLab had later retired it thinking that it would be too dangerous for anyone to know about and switching it for a process known as compression. Crashman smirked, this was perfect for him.

See, navis were mostly unable to absorb a fallen navi's data. Sure, some like Megaman and Bass had received powers of various navis, but they had never truly downloaded one. To absorb their whole essence and spit out their personalities. To become truly powerful. His code had allowed him to handle a limited amount of this data, but with this program…he would become the God of Destruction. He had already started down his path and now this program would make the road much easier to travel.

"Stop!" Crashman turned his head around. The Mega brat and his side kick Proto kid had caught up to him.

"Why should I?" Crashman said as he grabbed the program. Merely holding it filled him with power. He could just imagine how he would feel when he instaled it. When he raised his hand to start the program, a single shot blasted it out of his hands and allowed it to scatter onto the floor.

Crashman looked at the blue navi in rage, "What are you thinking? You could have deleted it!" He seethed.

"Does it look like I care? I'm not letting you get away with that program, whether I have to delete it or not. Do you have any idea what you've done? Several human beings are now locked in a blazing room all because you wanted something that you couldn't have. Do you have any idea how selfish you are?"

Crashman laughed, though he was eyeing the two navis carefully, "Selfish? Me? Oh, Megaman. You're a riot. How selfish I am? How selfish you are! Imagine, all that power underneath your finger tips and you don't bother sharing it with anyone? The Crosses, the Double Souls? I find it funny that you are the only navi able to harness these abilities, but yet you do not share your secrets with the commoners. Imagine, just how safe the Net would be if you weren't the only special one in the world."

"At least I know, lunatics like you won't be getting them." Megaman responded.

"Yes, well. Not exactly doing a good job of that are you. I mean, here you are trying to stop me and," he raised his palm, "here I am, not letting you. Crash Storm!" His hand changed into his drill appendage and starting firing multiple shrapnel bombs at the two navis.

While the two were distracted, he sprinted for the program.

"No, you don't! Lan!"

"Chaud!"

"Battle Routine, set!" both operators yelled.

"Execute!"

* * *

"Step Sword! Download!" Protoman surged forward and intercepted Crashman. He wasn't too happy when the red navi slashed him across his chest and then kicked him forward.

"Drill Arm! Download!" Megaman's Megabuster shifted into a drill. The navi ran forward and scored yet another hit on the surprised navi.

"Grr…Enough of this. PT Bomb!" Crashman growled as he fired yet another drill. The drill broken down and revealed a small claw-like device. It landed in between Protoman and Megaman, who jumped out of the way of it. The bomb exploded, once again covering the field with smoke.

"Lan! This isn't going to get us anywhere! There's too much smoke!" Megaman coughed.

"Right. Fan! Download!" Lan said as a small blue box with a little red antennae appeared. The smoke was blown away. However, Crashman was nowhere to be found. As Megaman looked, he realized that Protoman had also disappeared.

"Where'd they go?" Megaman asked as he walked forward. In mere seconds, he was slashed across the chest. His vision doubled. It seemed as if he was in two different worlds.

"Meg…SNA…UT…IT!" Lan's voice called to him like he was a drowning sailor. One second hearing, the next second not. As Megaman struggled to his feet, he heard the sound of swords clashing. He tried to focus on that. Tired to focus on returning back to reality, but soon he heard the sound of a groan. A red feather had just hit the ground. It took him seconds to realize that that feather was actually Protoman. Megaman's vision cleared and he was once again back in the game. However, before he could run to his friend's aid, he heard the sound of beeping. He looked down and back up at Crashman, who smiled. He had attached a PT Bomb to his chest, specifically on his emblem.

A navi's emblem was his or hers core data. Everything that made a customized navi special was in there. Destroying this data, unless a back-up was created, often spelled permanent deletion. Even with a back-up, there was no telling what kind of shape the navi would be in once restored. There had even been stories of several pieces of memory being missing, to personalities completely changing, the list went on.

"If it makes you feel any better, you're friend went down the same way." Crashman winced. His other hand had been cut off due to the fight, but was slowly being repaired.

Megaman was blown backwards by the explosion. It felt as if someone was literally ripping him apart.

"HUB!" Lan yelled.

Megaman laid on the ground wincing in pain. His emblem had become a spot of fragmenting data. He felt like he was coming apart. He turned his head to see Protoman not fairing much better. The red navi's breathing was shallow. Megaman squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to not focus on the pain that coursed through his body. Was this the end? Would he truly be deleted by this enemy?

"Stay down!" Chaud yelled. Megaman didn't know why Chaud would say such a thing. Both navis were down for the count. What would yelling do now. Megaman didn't understand until he opened his eyes and took another look. Protoman's breathing hadn't become shallow because he was dying. Well, there was that, but he was also resting. The red navi struggled back up to his feet.

"Well, isn't this an interesting turn of events?" Crashman said.

"Protoman, stop! He'll delete you!" Despite knowing Protoman's every line of code, there was just something about the thought of the navi being deleted that drove Chaud insane. Protoman was his partner and although he could rebuild him within a day or two, he would rather not see his friend ripped away from him.

"Yeah, and he'll kill more people and navis with that program. He cannot be allowed to leave here with it." Protoman reasoned weakly. The navi took a couple of steps forward before falling to his knees. His arm was being deleted.

"You can't even attempt to fight me in your condition! I would listen to your little friend in the real world. Save yourself. Oh wait, you can't even jack out. Too bad for you." Crashman smirked as he made his way to the program, though keeping an eye on his "friend".

Megaman steeled himself. He too wouldn't allow Crashman to leave. What if he got out? What if he put more lives in danger? Megaman hadn't known what was the fate of the scientists in the Database Room; but he swore that if they died, he would delete Crashman himself. Megaman pushed himself up from the ground. Every moment was painful and felt heavy, but he had to do it. For Lan. For Mayl. For Roll. For everyone.

"Oh, blue boy. You're getting in on this too?" Crashman cackled as he stopped moving. He was only a few feet away from the program. Why not entertain the weaklings?

"Yeah, it's my fault where in the position we're in right now. It's my job to fix it. Lan!" Megaman said weakly.

"No, I'm not going to sit by and watch you destroy yourself. Get out of there! Both of you!" Lan said. Jacking out Megaman and Protoman in their conditions would definitely be risky, but he would do it if it meant saving his brother.

Megaman sighed and slowly walked over to Protoman, offering him a hand. Crashman, amused by the very sad looking friendship, merely watched and continued his way to his program. However, a medium charged buster shot hit the floor in front of him. Crashman sent a sarcastic look towards the two navis, both were up. But, he noticed something different about Megaman. His green eyes were filled with determination and…was that a hint of rage?

Crashman activated his other drill and poised it to fire. He had heard stories of the blue bomber doing weird things when his life or others were on the line.

"I know you two are scared for us. But we have no choice. Protoman and I are the only ones who can stop Crashman. If we don't, he'll take that program and do who knows what with it. He's not someone we can just let run away and hope we'll find him again," Megaman's body began to glow brightly, his emblem was beginning to reconfigure itself, "So, like it or not. We're fighting!"

Crashman fired a Crash Rush at the two navis as light began to flood the area. He stepped back as he noticed who was in front of him. There were two Protomans…no wait just one? But Megaman had outgrown the Double Soul ability? How could he have…?

"How…I didn't authorize Protoman to become you Link Navi!" Chaud said.

"Chaud, Protoman and Megaman had been rivals since the beginning and we've won every time. What test could you possible put us through to prove that we're worthy?" Lan said, smirking. He had, for the first time, effectively shut up Chaud.

"Chaud! Send Protoman a Full Energy! Lan! I need a battle chip!" Megaman said, keeping an eye on Crashman, who seemed to be debating just how quickly he could get the program and get out. Megaman's and Protoman's body glowed blue for a shirt period as their data was restored; of course, the back-up data chips also helped. Their emblems were still cracked, but they would be safe from deletion for now.

"Chaud, I think it's time to pull out all the stops." Lan said.

"Couldn't agree with you more…which is actually quite scary." Chaud smirked as he readied three chips.

"Program Advance! Sword! Wide Sword! Long Sword! Life Sword!"

"Program Advance! Step Sword! Area Steal! Step Cross! Speed Slash!"

Megaman charged fired, stopping directly in front of Crashman and slashing him with the green blade. Protoman surged behind him and cut the navi again, sending him sprawling towards the ground. Crashman slowly got up, he could feel himself weakening. He was now more than ten feet away from his prize. He needed to leave now, but not without that program! He made yet another made dash towards his goal.

"For old times sake?" Lan asked as he extended a wire from his PET.

"Why not," Chaud said connecting it to his own.

"Link Program Advance!" both operator's yelled.

"Neo-Variable Sword!" Chaud said.

"Buster Up!" Lan yelled.

"Anti-Navi! Double Hero!" both operators activated the last battle chip.

Protoman's arm became the Neo-Variable Sword while Megaman charged a buster shot. For Crashman, life entered slow motion. As he jumped for the program, he felt himself being battered by several sword waves and buster shots. He had underestimated them and gave them a chance to recuperate. A mistake he would never make again. As he landed, he felt his data coming apart. He had taken severe damage.

Crashman looked at the object in his hands. He smirked. He had gotten it. Knowing time was of the essence, Crashman jacked out of the SciLab network. Leaving the two navis wondering what next.

* * *

"There were no survivors?" Megaman asked.

"No, by the time we were able to get in, the fire had already consumed the room. We managed to get it contained but…" Dr. Hikari trailed off. He had known some of the men and women who had died in that room. Some of the others he hadn't; they were only interns.

"Crashman does not get away with this." Megaman said quietly. Even though rage burned inside of him, he knew one thing. If the others knew his intentions, they would stop him. So he would just have to play the sad type…until he found that piece of code and deleted him.

* * *

Update: Monday

So this is something I got away with in the last DN without explaining...(sorry, I'm juts noticed that. Most times when you guys are reading DN I'm doing other stuff like working on a different story or other DN things.)

In MMBN6, the game established that a test had to be passed in order to get a cross. However in the case of Roll for Roll Cross, I feel like Megaman and Roll have known each other long enough, and the fact we already did a test for her Double Soul anyway. For Protoman, I have this to say...depending on he route of BN games you play, Protoman is a boss in every game! Now the route I've chosen for DN, doesn't feature Blue Moon (where his Double Soul is given), but I honestly don't think there was any kind of test I could have put him through. Protoman's been around since the beginning and beaten every time. He was supposed to have a Cross in Bn6, but it was never added.

So, overall...this Cross happened because of the history between these groups. Lan and Megaman have known Mayl and Roll and Chaud and Protoman since the beginning. I really don't think there is any "test" you could put in front of them to prove that they were worthy of gaining that Cross. Plus...Lan and Megaman are the world savior's six times in a row. The tests are just there as a game gimmick.

Also, about Megaman's emblem reconfiguring...that was the Cross. When his programming changed to fit ProtoCross, his programming changed which caused several other pieces to remodel and come together. You know like when you break a bone and the bone becomes stronger after it heals. That kind of thing...except this happened in seconds and broken bones can take quite some time when they want to.

Let's Play watch?v=zSJmKJi-lbQ

That's it for me! See you guys next week!


	16. Chapter 15

**Day 8 Part 1 - Confrontation**

Mayl stared at the address in her hands. Yep, she was in the right place. She had gotten another email from her father's navi after she had confirmed that she would be coming. Strangely—or maybe not—all contact with her father had been through his navi. Was he afraid of her or something?

"You know, you don't have to do this." Roll said softly.

"Yes, Roll I do." Mayl walked up to the door and knocked. It was now or never.

When Kazer opened the door, Mayl immediately thought that he was her grandfather, except he was also dead. Age had not been kind to the man and his eyes were sunken. His brown hair was now graying. The man gasped as he looked at the girl in front of him. Even after all these years, he had never forgotten her.

"Mayl? What are you doing here?" Kazer asked.

"What do you mean? You sent me here." Mayl explained.

"No, I didn't. But…" the old man pulled out a PET, "Something tells me I know who did. That navi of mine has been suspicious over the past couple of weeks and decided to leave the second the door bell rang."

"Huh, um…can I come in?" Mayl asked. Despite her intent to simply yell at the old man, seeing him now had disarmed her.

"Of course, yes. Though I'm a little crammed for space in here."

* * *

Kazer wasn't kidding. The inside of his home was really small actually. It was an apartment which could really only house one person comfortably. The inside was adequately lit and they weren't too many pictures on the walls. And there were no signs that he had even thought of her.

"Now, despite my navi's antics, what bring you here child?"

"Nice place," she replied, avoiding the question. She almost questioned if she was talking to the right person. He was actually talking to her. Actually listening to her. This wasn't the same man that she had been known for fourteen years of her life.

"It's fine for my standards. I never liked it in Electopia. That little house in ACDC, the neighborhood was too quiet. Everyone knew your business. The only reason I stayed there was because of your mother."

"Then why did you buy a house there?"

"Mayl, you're only a Netopian because you're my daughter. I've seen you long enough to know that you would hate it here. Bringing you along with me would be a lot harder than you think. Plus, it would require pulling you away from that Hikari boy. I swear that you two were connected at the hip when you were younger."

"Mayl…" Roll started. This whole scene was confusing her as well. She had never remembered the man as cold, but definitely distant and not very good at connecting with his daughter. He often preferred working over hanging out and most times never even spoke to Mayl unless he had to. But…now that she thought about it, he had never been mean spirited. He was just…well, not there.

"Is that Roll I hear?" the man asked looking at the young woman.

"Um…yes." The pink navi said as Mayl brought her PET out in front of her.

"Wow, I guess its true. The NetOp ages while the navi doesn't. You look the same as the day I last saw you. How long was that?"

"Five years." Mayl said as an utter cold was ushered into the room. Tension began to rise between the senior and his daughter. Kazer dropped his eyes and the floor suddenly became the most interesting thing in the world.

"It has been a while…hasn't it?"

"More than a while." Mayl said as she put the PET back into its holster.

"Mayl…I don't expect you to forgive me. I don't expect you to be proud of me or happy to see me. I…I never did right by you. Ever. Not once, did I ever give you the attention that I should have as a child. By the time I realized you had grown up, I was already gone. A year after I left, I ran into one of my old co-workers. She asked me how my family was. It was then that I had realized my true mistake. I had abandoned you. But by the time I had realized this, I knew that you probably already hated me. I took the coward's way out and hid out here. Hoping…that maybe one day I would steel the courage to tell you that I am sorry for all the pain I had caused you."

Mayl squeezed her eyes shut. Everything inside her wanted to scream out. Why…why did he wait until this long to tell her this? What had been so important that it could just replace her in his life? She somehow resisted the urge to raise her hand. What happened? He wasn't supposed to be talking. He was distant, unresponsive, never around. He never made time for her. And now here he was letting her in his house and admitting he was wrong. Nothing made sense anymore. She could feel her rage inside of her, but something was holding it back. She couldn't place it, but something was keeping her walking out the door and never coming back.

"Mayl?" the man asked.

"Why?" she said softly, barely above a whisper.

"What was that? I'm sorry, my hearing is not what it used to be."

"Why did you do it? Every day I came back home from school, nine out of ten you weren't there. When I was little, it was either microwavable dinners or running over to the Hikaris for food. When you were around, I was nothing more than a second place. By the time I went to fifth grade, I already knew more than what I probably should have at eleven. I've been asking myself for years why I didn't just call the police on you. Why I didn't just tell someone that my own father didn't care about me? But I didn't. _So tell me now, why did you abandon me for my whole life!_" she said as tears streamed down her face. Mayl's emotions were all over the place. It took everything within her not to scream at the top of her lungs. But she kept everything contained. This may be the only chance to hear him out. And she was going to take it.

"When we found out Kyoto, your mother, was pregnant, it hadn't been pretty. I was, at the time, an emerging business man. I had meet Kyoto at a local restaurant. She was one of the liaisons to a company I was trying to work for. One thing lead to another, and then next thing you know we have you. But things had never been so easy. Immediately after she found out she was pregnant, Kyoto tried to hide herself, hide you, from me.

"In fact, I never knew she was pregnant until I came into the office one day and heard she had taken off for maternal leave. At the time, I hadn't even known that you were mine. It wasn't until the hospital called me that I realized that I had had a daughter. Your mother had died during your birth and I was your only legal guardian. However, while you were the most beautiful thing I had seen in my life, it all came at a price.

"The hospital began to bill for everything. Soon after the company I worked for went under. Made some bad deals or something, I never got into the logistics of it. But the point was that I had several bills and no work. With the little money I had left, I managed to buy a house cheap in ACDC town. But, as time went on, I began to hate Electopia. It's peaceful atmosphere covered a darker truth. People were constantly calling about the bills. I began to do deals with whoever would pay. It wasn't until you went into ninth grade that I finally broke even. But by the time life had settled, you had grown up. You were no longer the little girl I had seen run into the kitchen and try to show me a picture you had drawn in school. You were no longer the girl who tried to show me how to play the piano after Dr. Itumi showed you.

"I was afraid of you. I had already begun to pick up your tones of resentment. And I couldn't blame you. Someone offered me a job in Netopia later that year. And I took it. It took me a year to figure out how much I had missed out on. My only saving grace in my life was getting you Roll. Many times you would come to get me to talk to me and I was at the end of my rope. I knew that you needed someone. I had had dealings in the past with Dr. Itumi and asked her if she could build you a net navi. I was thankful when she said she had one that would be perfect for you. And indeed, I see that she was." The man looked at Mayl with sad eyes.

Mayl remained silent. No one ever really talked about her mother. Mayl knew that she had died shortly after her birth, but... She glanced back at the man in front of her.

He cleared his throat, "Five years of abandonment is something no child should have to go through. And for that I am deeply sorry. Like I said, I don't expect you to even forgive me. In fact, I think I should be expecting a slap across the face at some point in time."

The two stood in silence for a while, "So…you…didn't want to leave me?"

"When you were a child? Never, but I knew that there would be no hope simply praying for work to come. I was always traveling because I was always doing odd jobs. I never said anything because I didn't want to worry you. You were small and I guessed you wouldn't have understood what was going on. When you were older, I didn't know what I wanted. I guess I wanted to make a relationship with you, but my fear drove me away. You had done so much growing up; you were like an adult in a kid's body. I had seen your whole life go by and wasn't a part of any of it."

Mayl opened her eyes and noticed that her father had actually teared up a bit. He was telling the truth, "Well…it's not too late to try." She ventured.

"What?" the man said, surprised.

Mayl swallowed. Could she really just push past the years of abandonment? It would take some time; actually it would take a lot of time. But this was what she wanted wasn't it? Her mind flashed back to her argument with Lan just a few days ago. Perhaps...he had been right. Maybe some part of her always cared about her father. She had just been burying it every time it tried to resurface. That was why she never slapped him. Some part of her still wanted a relationship with her dad. And now...she had her chance. Mayl took a breath, "You did kinda pay for the house. And I guess you were only trying to look out for me…"

"Don't make excuses for me, Mayl. What I did was inexcusable as a human being and as a father."

"Yeah, but you've already started to at least try and repair things."

"How? I haven't done anything."

"By actually talking to me for one. It's sad, but I think this is the most we've actually talked before. More importantly though, because you told me the truth. Even if I didn't understand it as a kid, just hearing that you wanted me around would have been better than the silence."

"Mayl…I don't know what to say."

"Just say that we can talk for a little while longer."

"As long as you want."

She moved and finally hugged the man she knew as her father, "Thank you."

"I'm so so sorry, Mayl. I love you."

"I…I love you too... dad."

"Well, I suppose I have a lot to catch up on."

"Yeah, you do."

"Well, I guess for starters I have a boyfriend."

"Hikari?"

"What how'd you…"

"I may never have talked, but it was impossible to not notice you and him together all the time. Like I said, connected at the hip."

* * *

Update: Friday

Another behind the scenes moment. Originally, Mayl's dad was a class-A jerk! I don't know why I wrote him like that originally...anyway the confrontation was a lot more uncomfortable and lacked a happy ending. Gav intervened and soon enough Mayl's dad was a much more remorseful person.

And here's another b.t.s, when I came up with this series I was originally only going to do one and it was just going to be called Megaman Battle Network 7. The original concept was that Mayl's parents were going to force her to move from her home in ACDC when a group known as CHAOS emerges from the shadows of WWW. As you all can see, Double Network has evolved much farther past this, but I'm glad that I finally have finished the major back story of Roll and Mayl. Dex's was kinda shown off in BN3. I don't have plans to go into Yai's. Maybe as like a one shot in the future, but more than likely nothing DN related. DN focuses mostly on Mayl, Roll, Lan, and Megaman/Hub.

So, what did you guys think was going to happen? So far, we've had social scenarios for Roll and Mayl. We've had a lot with Lan because of the Battle Network series (remember DN is an add on to BN). So the only one left is Hub/Mega huh? We'll see just what he's thinking since Crashman destroyed part of SciLab...

As a side note...anyone like my new profile pic?


	17. Chapter 16

**Day 8 Part 2 - Darkness Comes Hand In Hand With Light**

"Wow, that was unexpected." Roll said, looking at her operator. It had been five hours since the two had come to seen Kazer and they had only stopped talking since Mayl needed some sleep for her flight tomorrow. Kazer promised to come by and to call more often.

"Yeah, it was. I still can't believe it. Even when he didn't seem to be thinking about me, he was." Mayl opened the door to her hotel room.

"Well, I'm glad it all worked out. Now we can finally put this whole mess behind us!"

Mayl merely laughed at her friend's words. It felt good to finally be done with this whole situation, "Yeah, we can. Oh, please remind me to give Lan a big kiss once I get back later tomorrow?"

"I have to remind you to do that?" Roll asked.

"What can I say. I've been kind of scatter brained recently. I may just hug him by accident." Mayl took off her shoes and turned on the TV. The news sent her heart into her stomach.

_Yesterday, seven SciLab scientists died due to an fire that errupted inise a database room. The cause of the blaze is said to be a computer malfuncti-_

Mayl quickly turned off Ribbitta and tried to call Lan. Oh, why couldn't that boy just stay out of trouble for two seconds! As she called, she grimaced. His signal went busy.

"Roll, I'm jacking you into the Net. Can you go to Lan's PC and see if he's okay? I'm sure there some part of the Net that connects back to Electopia from here."

"Got it! I'll be back soon!"

"Roll! Jack in, Execute!"

* * *

Crashman's data began to come together as the Adapt Program melded in with his own coding. He felt like a new navi. He activated his drill and fired. The explosion caused a crater to be formed within the ground. The crater was small, but it was more that he could do before. Crashman started laughing to himself. He would finally be able to take control of CHAOS. Now, nothing would be able to stop him. Of course though, he had some loose ends to take care of now.

* * *

Lan was getting worried about Hub. Since yesterday, his navi had been acting more and more strange. He had barely talked and seemed to be more focused than he ever was before. Currently, the navi was kicking Bug Frags in the air and firing buster shots at them. The worrying part was that he had been doing this for at least three hours straight. Lan didn't know where he was getting the Bug Frags to this—until he check their personal stash and realized that the counter was dropping rather quickly—but he knew something was wrong with his brother.

"Hub, you okay?" Lan asked.

"Fine." Megaman responded and took another shot.

"You know you're going to run us dry if you keep this up."

"Don't care."

"Okay, what is it with you?"

"Nothing. I'm fine."

"Of course you are, and Roll goes out with Gutsman. Listen Hub, I may be your operator, but I'm also your brother. I know there's something up. I want to help you."

"I'm sorry, Lan. But this is something you can't help me with."

Lan looked sadly at the navi, until something caught his attention, "Hub! Get out of the way!"

As the missiles hit the ground, a smirking navi came out of the smoke. Crashman. "Well, well, well. So, it turns out that you are more than just a navi. I assume this operator is your brother. Though not much assumption, you just told me!"

"Crashman." Megaman growled.

"Yes, cheater cheater navi killer." Crashman stated.

"What did you call me?" Lan was actually getting nervous. Out of the two, Hub was the more sensible and level headed one. But now, Lan would actually mistake him for him for himself. Plus, Crashman was here in their PC. As Lan looked down at his PET, he realized that he had been too focused on Hub to notice the flashing red light signifying that his security cube had been destroyed.

"You heard me! What? Don't you kill every navi you see? As far as I know, every navi who hasn't sided with you was deleted by you. I mean sure we all have back-ups, but some of those normal navis don't. In a sense, you're no better than me. Nothing more than a killer."

"Quiet!" Megaman said, before activating his buster and taking charged shots at him.

"Megaman! Calm down!" Lan said.

"Listen to your dear old brother, Hub. After all, if you don't someone could get hurt. Just like last summer. From what I hear, Lan over there was in the hospital for a while. What you do? Couldn't stop him from telling you what to do? Pathetic!" Crashman jeered.

"**SHUT UP!**" Megaman said as he ran towards the navi, but Crashman merely shot him down. As Megaman landed on the ground, he felt something inside him begin to snap.

**_Just delete him. Here and now. You know you want to..._**

Megaman struggled back up to his feet, although he was only stepped on by Crashman, "You know. I wonder if your little girlfriend would still like you if she knew just what a monster you were. I mean sure you're the "hero". But when you really think about it, you're the villain of this story. Actually, maybe I should just take her. After I humiliate you, I'm sure she'll just come crawling. After all, she goes for power doesn't she? I mean, that's the only reason she would date you…Unless, oh I get it. You're paying her. Now that's really pathetic."

**_He's going to take her. Are you just going to let that happen? You can make sure it doesn't happen..._**

Megaman felt his mind being torn apart as he threw Crashman from off of him. As the navi looked back, he was shocked. The color in Megaman's emblem had gone completely, leaving only a white icon and the crimson red lines outlining its design. His blue body suit had gotten deeper in color, becoming almost borderline black. His eyes become a sickly shade red. The navi took off his helmet and precariously threw it away.

"You touch her and I'll give you a fate worse than deletion. Actually, you're already dead to me. Unlike me, you have blood on your hands. I'll make you pay tenfold what you did to those scientists. By the time I'm done with you, you'll be begging me to delete you!" Megaman gave the navi a sick smirk before calling out an attack that hadn't been used in years, "Dark Lance!"

Crashman jumped just in time to avoid several black lances poke up from ground. What? Megaman had expunged all the Dark Power of his soul and the Net itself! Hadn't he?

"How are you…?"

"Sorry, but I don't have time for you. Dark Cannon!" the black navi yelled just as his arm converted to a dark blue cannon and fired it. Crashman fell backwards as the blast hit him. He had not been expecting this. How was he able to summon chips without his operator's input? Lan was in shock as he watched his brother give in to his own evil. Like Crashman, he too was curious about his brother's new found power. However, that would have to wait. Lan tried to jack Megaman out, but ended up being unable to.

The red and orange navi got up to his feet, "Crash Barrage!" A bombardment of bombs fell from the sky after Crashman had fired a drill into the air.

"Dark Barrier." The bombs fell in front of Megaman, but none of them damage the navi due to the shield's power.

"Dyna Sword!" he yelled as a gray blade appeared where his hand should be.

"Dark Blade!" Megaman swung his sword, shattering Crashman's own blade, "You are nothing more than several lines of words. You're junk data, just waiting to be dealt with. But, I'm a nice guy. How do you want to be deleted? Slow or quick? Either way, it will be painful."

"Hub, stop! This isn't you! Just calm down a second!" Lan yelled.

Crashman backed up. His eyes darted around the room. Megaman had turned into a psychopath and he didn't want to see just what he was hiding. However, before Crashman could make a move, Megaman did.

Even though his Dark Sword was still out, a different weapon formed in his other hand, "Dark Yo-Yo!" The bladed object slashed into Crashman and wrapped itself around him. He struggled against the line, but realized that he would have to cut his way out. His physical strength wouldn't break him free. How could he have all this extra power, but yet be thrown around so easily? Just what was Megaman?

"I think you've made your decision," the navi put away his yo-yo, though the string was still around Crashman, and raised his blade, "Tonight! You die!"

"No, Hub this isn't right! Stop!"

"Anti-Sword! Download!" just as Megaman brought his blade down, someone jumped in the way and countered him. As the dark navi got up, he realized it had been none other than Roll.

"Megaman! What are you doing?" Roll asked, her back still towards Crashman, who had summoned his sword again to cut himself free.

Before Megaman could even talk, Roll felt something pierce her. As the blade was taken out, Roll faltered a bit before being seized by the neck; her own data leaking out of her wound. Just why did she put herself in these situations again? At least she had her own luck; the sword had missed her emblem by inches. However, even through her pain, something scared her to her very core. Hub's roar of anger. She had never seen him this way. It scared her.

"What's it going to be Megaman, your girl or me?" Crashman said as he edged his way to the portal. The navi's red eyes seemed to glow with anger; but unlike Dark Megaman, who's soul was lost in darkness and corrupted to follow only the orders of Dr. Regal, Hub Hikari was still very much awake and taking his own commands. Knowing that Roll would need more attention, he merely growled at the navi. Figuring that he wouldn't harm his girlfriend, Crashman merely smirked and activated his drill yet again, "Good boy. Crash Rush!"

"Grr..Dark Aura." Megaman said. He didn't think Crashman would actually force him to put up this kind of a fight. In the meantime, despite her wound, Roll was trying to squirm out of Crashman's grasp. He had her in a tight headlock. If only she could swing her head the other way! Luckily, Mayl had also been thinking of a way out.

"Recover 300! Pyra Merge!" Roll's pink hue was replaced by a blazing red.

"What the…" Crashman said, beginning to realize that something bad was about to happen.

"Blaze Circle!" Roll yelled. As the fire blazed around them, a surprised Crashman let go. The red navi sprinted away, leaving Crashman without a hostage.

Megaman merely smirked, "Well, well, well." Crashman took another look at the navi. The portal was right behind him, but something told him that the black navi wouldn't let him leave without a fight, "You know. I was just going to delete you. But now I'm sending you back in pieces! Dark Beast!"

In mere seconds, Megaman's body suit had changed. Dark red armor replaced the black and the "eyes" on his helmet were a pitch black color. The navi growled before rushing Crashman. Crashman couldn't comprehend what had happened over the last few moments as he collapsed to the ground. He had been slashed with sharp claws all over his body. He hadn't even seen the navi move until after the pain set in. He looked behind him towards the link to the Net. Could he make it in time?

He turned back to see a Vulcan in the beast navi's hand. Odds are probably not. He would've gone after Roll again, but that hadn't been exactly helpful earlier. He had to think. What do you do when you try to throw off an animal? Suddenly, a very unlikely idea popped into his head. Crashman forced himself to get up as he readied another bomb. He just had to wait for it.

"Grr…." the navi responded. It was if he had somehow lost his mind to his own power, which meant that his sense of logic had checked out.

As the navi opened fire, Crashman jumped out of the line of fire and sent a barrage of bombs head right in front of him. The attack sent smoke flying up and surrounding the field. Before it cleared, Crashman limped off towards the exit and left the PC. Seeing that the source of his rage was gone, Megaman exited his beast form and his color returned back to him.

He walked closer to Roll, who gave him a look of disbelief. Before he could even talk, she cowered back. Her own eyes showing him what she didn't say. Megaman looked into the pink navi's eyes. She was scared…scared of him. Megaman stared down to the ground. He had let his anger get the better of him and for what. Just to delete some navi. Crashman was right; he was no better than him. Megaman turned his back to Roll and walked towards the portal. It was apparent from his stance that he had no intention of pursuing Crashman.

"Megaman…" Lan said.

He just had to go and blow it again. First with the passcode and now with this! He stared at his hands. How had he been able to summon the Dark Power again? How long had it been there at his fingertips? His mind raked with questions; but it was apparent, he wasn't needed here. However, before he could leave, Roll grabbed his arm. He turned around, her eyes were softer this time around. She was still rattled, but she didn't seem scared of him anymore.

"Hub, I'm sorry. It's just that…you were so angry. I've never seen that side of you before. It was actually scary." She handed him his helmet. SHe must have picked it up while his back was turned.

"You have nothing to be sorry about. It's my fault, I…" Megaman faltered.

Roll shoke her head before turning to Lan, "Can you give us a moment? You too Mayl." Both operators nodded and their screens disappeared, "So, what happened?"

* * *

"Hub, none of this was you're fault. You were tricked and manipulated—though I still can't believe you can't tell me apart from people. But that's besides the point. The point is that you're not a bad guy, Mega." Roll said softly.

Megaman kept his head hung. He never remembered a time of being more ashamed of himself. How stupid could he get? He willing walked into a baited trap and continually took the bait every time it had presented itself to him. Before he could think even more negatively about himself, Roll kissed him. It was funny how the pink navi could literally make him stop thinking. Even though she wasn't the most powerful fighter, she had the most power over him than arguable anyone else in the Cyber World.

Once they broke apart, Megaman just stared into Roll's eyes, "You done think negatively about yourself?" she asked.

"What? How did you?" he stumbled.

"Mega, I know you like an open book. You act like it's hard for me to pick up what you're thinking." She gave him and hug and promised to meet up with him tomorrow, after all she needed to get back to Mayl at some point.

After she left, Megaman was once again left to his own devices. Figuring that Lan would give him a couple more minutes, he decided to merely find a spot on the floor and curl up for the night. Today had been a rough day and one he'd rather not re-experience.

* * *

Update: Monday

Okay, now I know that Nebula Gray and the Dark Power was supposed to be destroyed in MMBN5. But, there is a work around. See, Megaman is Hub...a human soul inside a net navi. Human souls are not without darkness. This is an idea that has been explored in True-inTha-Blue's _The Love of Many_ and my own _Two of Me_. Pretty much, acknowledging darkness within the human soul makes Dark Power still an accessible ability for Megaman to get. Also, if anyone is wondering how'd I bring Gregar in this. I used a chip. Double Beast, the only chip that will not break the American version of MMBN6, if you somehow stumble upon it. It was one of the few chips that were edited out of this version. Dark Hub merely corrupted the chip...so yes...he does has access to **a lot** of chips.

And I'll answer this now. Is this the last we see of Dark Hub? Nope. I have plans for him...it's up to you guys to wonder what they are.

Anyway, that's it for me! Epilogue next chapter! (Psst...if anyone is wondering why I'm putting the Epilogue on a Monday instead...well... today since it's is it's own day, check the DN section on my profile. Something has been announced to come out Wednesday...)


	18. Chapter 17

**Day 10 - Fitting In The Pieces**

Crashman limped back into the Net. He wasn't sure just where he was going, but anywhere was better than with that raving lunatic, Megaman. An extremely dangerous foe indeed. He was beginning to see why he had one so many victories after all. Such amazing power in one body. Even with the partial data of three other navis, he could not defeat him. As he gazed out into the Cyber World, he wondered just who else was out there. Where there others like Megaman and Bass?

However, his sight did not last long. Crashman's data collapsed as a Bug Thunder Sword ran through it. As he was deleted, Crashman's data became his deleter's own. The conversion was simple and took a mere second to complete, after all they were the same navi.

The red and purple navi blinked a couple times and looked out at the world with bright blue eyes.

"Well done, now come back. We have much to talk about, Void." The female voice said as the navi jacked out. Oh yes, chaos was merely beginning.

* * *

"I'm glad it all worked out between you two." Lan said as he sat down next to Mayl on her couch.

"Yeah, he even called me before you came over to make sure I got back okay. At least he's trying now." Mayl smiled at the young man before her and hugged him, "Thank you for telling me to go."

"No problem."

"Wow…I can't believe I actually have to do this. Mayl, don't forget!" Roll said, as she brushed some hair out of her face. She had gotten more accustomed to taking her helmet off whenever she was at home, but it didn't help that Megaman was also there with his helmet off too.

"Oh right!" Mayl said, before bringing Lan in for a kiss. After they broke apart, Mayl spoke again, "I'll let you think about why I did that."

"I can say I don't really care about the reason. I'm just glad you did."

"Funny, so am I."

* * *

From the Cyber World, Megaman and Roll watched the scene in front of them, "Can't believe it took them so long to get together." Roll said.

"I can. Lan's been dense since he was born. Dating her has actually made him smarter." Megaman joked before receiving a light punch from Roll.

"Be nice, he's your brother."

"Doesn't mean I can't make jokes about him."

The two laughed for a while before continuing their conversation, "So," Roll started, "How are you?"

"I'm fine." Megaman said plainly.

"Mega…"

"Okay, maybe I'm still a little worried. Crashman is still out there and now my Dark Power is acting up again. I'm getting the feeling that this adventure is only just beginning."

"You think too much," Roll said, staring straight at him.

"Huh?"

"Just relax for a couple of seconds. Sure Crashman is still out there. But he's not going to be doing much after the beating you gave him. And you've beaten the Dark Power before. You can do it again. So just stop over analyzing everything and get ready for Christmas. There's only four days left until the big day."

Megaman smiled at the pink navi before realizing the latter half of what she had said. His eyes widened, "Four...days?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Uh oh…LAN!"

"What Megaman?" the boy said, annoyed that his brother was trying to distract him from his girlfriend.

"There's only four days before Christmas and your shopping isn't done." His brother said cocking his head towards Mayl.

Lan looked from his brother to his girlfriend and immediately caught on, "Oh um…look at the time. Sorry, Mayl. I've got to go. Talk to you later. Bye! Love you!" the boy said as he ran out of her house and to the station. Maybe Central Town had stores open?

"That boy's always getting his shopping done late." Mayl said.

"Um…Mayl. I hate to break the news to you, but you haven't gotten Lan anything yet." Roll piped up.

The girl's eyes bulged as the fact hit her. With all the excitement, she had completely forgotten to get her boyfriend something. In seconds, she too was making a bee line for the subway. Town District would have something. It had too!

"Sometimes, it's nice being a navi. I don't have to worry about this." Roll sighed to herself.

"Not helping, Roll!"

"Sorry!"

* * *

And that's a game folks!

Now, a lot of people are probably slightly confused by Crashman. Well, I'll go ahead and explain a couple of things.

Crashman is indeed a navi created by Dawn. After the failure of Void's first attempt, Crash was activated in order to break into SciLab. I say activated because Crashman. EXE is more or less a prototype of Void. EXE, which is why he got deleted so easily and within his debut. His only mission was to grab the Adapt Program for Void. But as you all have seen several navis created by Dawn don't exactly meet expectations. She's still perfecting her code and as a result some of her navis are...buggy. Crystal. EXE went berserk and Crashman. EXE wanted to take over for himself. However, the differences between Void and Crashman will become more and more clear in DN3. Void is a different kind of person compared to Crashman. And that's all I'm saying.

A little behind the scenes, originally, Crashman was supposed to be "captured" in order to give him a better back story for skeptics like Megaman. After the initial write out of MMDN2, I decided to scrap that and just make him a terrible actor with a few ploys to try and feign suspicion.

So this is going on two games now and I was just wondering two things. One favorite scene from the DN series and two, favorite fight of the DN Series so far on both subjects. I just thought I'd ask, some to keep in mind for the future DNs.

On the subject of future DNs, I will say this about DN3, things definitely become...well...darker. DN1 was the set up, DN2 repeated _Your Not Alone_ and explored our other heroine's back story, DN3 will be focusing on a concept that was thought to be destroyed after the events of BN5. Evil will take any form it can get and it can be found in any being no matter how pure. Time for darkness to have its time in the light.

Well everyone, I'll see you all next time on _Megaman Double Network 3: S_...Bass, why are you here? I know I brought you in on the cast, but you normally only pop up when I'm about to say a spoiler or something...A note? Um, okay, Bass wants me to tell everyone that DN3 is not next on the release list. Instead we have another DN Beginnings? OH! Now, I remember! Thanks, Bass (can't believe I said that...)!

So as you guys and girls know, Double Network had two prequels before Dark World-the first official DN title-_You Knew _and _You're Not Alone_. Recently, I renamed them and classified them as _Megaman Double Network Beginnings_ titles. One more story will be added to the list and will be the next Double Network story I release. See you all next time on **_Megaman Double Network Beginnings: The Hub Hikari File _coming out Wednesday**!

* * *

Themes (PS. Do you guys want me to continue doing themes? Not I can change these if someone else suggests something better.): [All of these are Youtube]

MMDN1: Courtesy Call by Thousand Foot Krutch ( watch?v=aeb9kUmXaMM)

MMDN2: Hero (Legion of Doom Remix) by Skillet ( watch?v=55Cew78SIOI)

Mayl: Just A Little Faster by There Fore Tomorrow ( watch?v=1XCzS9CF1Mk)

Roll: Still Worth Fighting For by My Darkest Days ( watch?v=KzdsGnKvmuA)

Megaman: End of Me by Ashes Remain ( watch?v=TTlucpBG-WM)

Lan: Take It Out On Me by Thousand Foot Krutch ( watch?v=G8pdOQr5sfA)

Crashman: I Get Wicked by Thousand Foot Krutch ( watch?v=e2VmuIla66Q)


End file.
